What is Time-out from Reinforcement?

The child's access to sources of reinforcement is removed for a particular time contingent on the production of a challenging behavior. 

How is Time-out Implemented?

• Determine ability to implement/maintain the procedure.
  
  For example, can reinforcers be made inaccessible during the time-out period?

• Remove reinforcers immediately after a challenging behavior

Time-out may not be a logical choice in all situations. For example:

• If the child is attempting to escape an activity, the activity is not positively reinforcing.
  
  Removing him from the activity will strengthen rather than weaken challenging behavior associated with escape.

• If the child engages in challenging behavior to obtain or maintain the attention of his peers, it may not be practical or even possible to completely remove the peers' attention.
   
• If the child is engaging in challenging behavior to obtain/maintain adult attention and the adult has to constantly be with the learner to insure no access to desired activities, time-out may reinforce the child by providing dense attention.

• Reinforcers that support behavior must be removed.

• Avoid time-out from situations that are aversive to the child.

• Ability to implement/maintain
  
  • When a learner is very physically resistant, time-out should not be used.
  • Time-out often requires additional staff to successfully implement.

• Keeping time-out short
  
  • There is no evidence to support that the length of the time-out influences procedural effectiveness. Time-outs should be kept brief.

• Providing desirable alternative behavior

Kelly is a three-year-old child who, at snack time, grabs food from other children and eats it.   Her teachers wanted to eliminate this behavior quickly and thought time-out was the best way to accomplish their goal.

• As soon as Kelly grabbed food from another child, interventionists picked her up and placed her in a time-out chair.
• Kelly had a difficult time sitting for a time-out, so one of the teachers sat next to her for 3 minutes.
• During that time, the teacher talked to her and tried to explain why it is not okay to eat another child's food.
• Often, when Kelly returned to the table, she would immediately try to grab food from another child again, so her teachers determined that time-out would not work with her and began using other strategies.
• In this example interventionists may have more success if they refrained from interacting with Kelly during the time-out.  This might be reinforcing her inadvertently.

What are the Disadvantages of Time-out?

• It is a punishment contingency and, therefore, has the side effects discussed under punishment.

• Public reaction and legal sanctions.
   
• Time-outs can look punitive and degrading. Many educational settings have detailed rules regarding the situations in which time-out can be used.

• It may suppress desirable behaviors in addition to the behavior being treated.
   
• It may result in decreased opportunities to experience academic and behavioral success.  (The more time in time-out, the less time is available for active instruction.)