Today, I'm talking all about the use of timeout for children with and without autism and why
I rarely recommend using timeout for parents or professionals.
If you are using timeout or have used it in the past, you don't want to miss today's episode.
Hi, I'm Dr Mary Barbera, autism mom, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, online course
creator, and bestselling author.
Each week I provide you with some of my ideas about turning autism around, so if you haven't
subscribed to my YouTube channel you can do that now.
As a behavior analyst, I have lots of video blogs that cover a range of problem behaviors
and also discipline topics.
I have a blog on how to discipline children with autism.
I have a blog on what to do when your child gets kicked out or held back in preschool
or day care.
I have lots of video blogs on problem behavior and hitting and those sorts of things, but
today I wanted to talk about timeout since it is a very common procedure used by both
parents and professionals with typically developing kids as well as kids with autism.
I think it's almost always a bad idea.
I know with my two sons, I never used an official timeout procedure for Lucas and only less
than a handful of times that I ever used timeout for Spencer.
Back when they were little I wasn't a behavior analyst, but now that I am and I have been
a behavior analyst since 2003, I have used timeout very, very rarely because timeout
in my opinion is very overused.
It's a very reactive procedure.
It's a punishment procedure and punishment is not usually allowed within public school
settings, um, unless you have a full, uh, positive behavior support plan in place and
someone highly skilled at the use of things like timeout.
And so I think the use of timeout is people just don't think that it is such a big deal,
but it really is.
I remember being in a preschool or daycare course, a classroom with um, a little boy,
I'll call him Tommy.
He was 3 years old.
I was paid to go out to do a 1 day evaluation and they were having trouble with him at preschool
and he was about to be kicked out.
He did not have a diagnosis of autism yet and he had some language, but he was just
a very, uh, you know, got into a lot of trouble at preschool classes where the teachers had,
you know, 15 kids in the class.
I think there were2 teachers, whatever classroom he was in.
So I was observing for the day and saw him, you know, touching kids in line when they
were in line for recess and those sorts of minor problem behavior.
And I'm not even sure what he did.
It wasn't anything, you know, really aggressive or anything.
But he did something and one of the teachers said, Tommy, you, you're going to timeout.
And so I'm just observing and I'm, you know, I'm doing my evaluation and she takes him
by the hand and leads him to a desk in the classroom right in the middle of the classroom
and he proceeds to kick at the desk and I think he was trying to like push at the desk,
caused some noise to try to get some more attention which I think he did intermittently
throughout the 5 or 10 minute period.
At some point that teacher or the other teacher said, Tommy, you're all done timeout.
You can get out.
And he resumed the class in the classroom.
So at the end of the day or when we had a free moment, free from Tommy, I asked the
teacher, like how many times a day or a week is Tommy in time out, you know?
Oh it depends, sometimes 3 times a day, sometimes 3 times a week.
Um, what leads to timeout?
Like I was sitting there, I don't even remember why you put them in timeout.
She goes, well when we've just had enough of him.
Okay, well as a behavior analyst using a punishment procedure when you've just had enough is not
a good reason to use timeout.
When is timeout done because I couldn't really tell if it was 5 or 10 minutes or if there
was any timer going off.
Well when we just are in the mood to bring him back kind of attitude.
So you could see how this treating problem behavior and using timeout, what I call willy
nilly is going to almost always lead to more problem behaviors and ineffective use of timeout.
Um, so I would say, uh, you know, with my own kids, I rarely used timeout only with
Spencer a handful of times or less, never with Lucas.
Some kids, you know, could benefit from timeout, but really you will, if you are a parent or
you're a professional without a ton of experience in this, a behavioral profession professional,
it almost will always backfire.
So I would encourage you instead spend 95% of your time preventing problem behaviors
to use 8 positives to every negative, um, to consider the appropriateness of Tommy being
in that preschool class.
He would have probably done fine it if he would have gotten more of the positive attention
when he was doing the right thing.
So maybe he could have a 1-to-1 therapist or an aid or just more support, more positive
attention when he is doing the right thing.
So those are some of my techniques.
If you are using timeout, I would say, you know, really take a second look, make sure
if you're a professional, you have standard procedures.
What leads to timeout, what leads to getting out of timeout and also make sure your data
is clear and showing a reduction of problem behaviors.
If you're using timeout for weeks or months or God forbid, years for the same behaviors,
then obviously you need to take a really hard look at what you're doing and redesign that
intervention.
If you enjoyed this video, I would love it if you would leave me a thumbs up, comment,
share the video with someone that can benefit.
Hopefully it gave you some ideas about the use of timeout and maybe, uh, curtailing that.
For more information, uh, to get more guidance related to positive strategies to teach language
and learning skills and prevent problem behavior to help each child reach his or her fullest
potential, you can go online to an free online workshop at marybarbera.com/workshop and I
hope to see you right here next week.