When Avoidance Isn't the Answer: Understanding Escape Behavior

The instinct is strong to avoid or escape the unpleasantness by any means necessary. For students, this often manifests in behaviors like skipping class, acting out, or even faking illness.

Escape behavior occurs when a student finds a situation unpleasant or undesirable.

The situation may be the presentation of an assignment or the presence of an individual or setting that the student finds aversive. The student then attempts to leave or avoid the situation by any means possible.

Often, the student resorts to what is the fastest and most effective way to get out of the situation, even if it results other unpleasant consequences such as being sent to the principal’s office, phone call to parents, or suspension from school.

Why would a student take such risks to escape a situation? The motivation to escape or avoid that situation is worth the risk for various reasons such as that the task is too difficult, the task is too boring, the student is anxious around others, or the student is worried about being teased from others in the setting.

The student’s behaviors that resulted in escape or avoidance will continue to occur if it terminates the aversive situation. In other words, the behaviors will persist if it works for the student.