With regard to concern for child isolation and removal of warmth, sticking to a short duration provides a brief respite from a difficult interaction for both the parent and child. When implemented appropriately, the common criticisms of time-out become less valid. Ideally, time-out is utilized in conjunction with other methods of discipline (e.g., removal of privileges, token economies) to support behavior change. Once the time-out has been completed, the parent should quickly return to warmth and positive attention toward their child to help the child regain emotional control. Overall, time-out is designed to be a consistent, structured discipline strategy that allows the parent to remain calm and controlled throughout the process. Additionally, evidence suggests that other management principles, including remaining calm, using the intervention consistently, and having realistic, developmentally appropriate expectations were also critical to the success of the time-out. Best practice time-outs include a verbalized warning, verbalized reason, placement in a safe location, removal from environmental reinforcement (e.g., toys, siblings), location in a chair, short duration (e.g., typically around 3 minutes for children between ages 3 and 7), returns to the chair following escape, and follow-through with original request if the time-out was due to noncompliance. Across the existing time-out literature, 86% of studies utilized positive reinforcement strategies like these in conjunction with the time-out process (Everett, Hupp, & Olmi, 2010).Ī review of the time-out literature spanning nearly 30 years examined the best practice time-out procedures (Everett, Hupp & Olmi, 2010). This positive parental attention increases the likelihood of the positive child behavior occurring again while also showing parental approval and increasing the child’s self-esteem. Defining Time-OutĬritical to an understanding of time-out is first establishing a clear definition of what is meant by the term, “time-out.” A well-implemented time-out occurs in the context of a warm and supportive parenting relationship that includes a high level of positive parental attention, including specific or labeled praises for appropriate child behavior (e.g., “Great job listening”), high fives, hugs, etc. Moreover, there is concern that time-outs may not be properly implemented by parents and lead to inappropriate and coercive use of time-out. Common criticisms of time-out include that time-outs increase emotional dysregulation, fail to teach children distress tolerance skills, isolate them when they need support, and may re-traumatize children who have experienced abuse. In recent years, multiple articles have been written in popular magazines and newspapers calling into question whether time-out may be harmful for children and whether other strategies may be superior.

Many decades of research have shown that time-out is associated with a reduction in aggressive behavior, improved child compliance, and increased generalization of appropriate behavior across environments.ĭespite this strong body of literature, controversy continues to swirl around time-out. Currently, both the American Academy of Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control encourage the use of time-out as a best practice behavior management strategy within the context of a strong, positive parent-child relationship. Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatricsĭepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Child Developmentįor decades, time-out has been promoted as an effective and safe parenting strategy to manage challenging behaviors exhibited by young children.

Compliance with time out procedure