The "Time Out" Debate
Do you use "TIME OUT" either at home with your own children or within the work day with the little ones you treat?
Recently I attended a training that highlighted different ways to handle issues surrounding children with challenging behaviors. We discussed different ways to speak with their parents and how to foster supportive relationships with them. In addition, we also spoke about different ways to address difficult behaviors when working with children in a classroom or home care setting.
One of the main recommendations of the presenter was to not use "time out" with children of any age and instead say "no" and verbally correct the child. In addition, instead of issuing "time out", offer the child a place to sit and "calm down" and get a "breather" if they need it.
Now, I need to admit that I personally am not a huge fan of "time out". Instituting "time out" sometimes seems to compound the situation and before you know it you are struggling to get the child to even sit down and stay in time out for the time you deem appropriate. You and the child end up forgetting the original reason why they were ordered into time out in the first place!
On the other hand, I have also seen it work flawlessly. The child doesn't even need to be told to go to the magic spot. They just know they've been "bad" and march themselves right over to the designated spot and sit for the time allotted like a perfect little "time out" tot.
So, in order to help me sort out this debate, I've done some research on my own to see what the latest buzz is regarding "time out". I did an internet search on the case for and against "time out" and I here is what I found:
Regarding the case against "time out", I found "The Natural Child Project" by Peter Haiman, PhD, which can be found at: http://www.naturalchild.com/guest/peter_haiman.html . On this website, the philosophy is this:
Although time-out is better than spanking, it is not an appropriate way for parents to cope with the misbehavior of their children. Moreover, the use of time-out can create subsequent childhood behavior problems. These problems can affect the well-being of the child and severely strain the parent-child relationship.
Regarding the case in support of "time out", I found a website called "Keep Kids Healthy" which is "a pediatrician's guide to your children's healthy and safety". The link can be found at:
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/parenting_tips/discipline/time_out.html and the information here reports:
Time out is a very effective discipline technique and will work with children as young as 18-24 months old. By using this method of discipline you are giving your child time out from positive reinforcement (which includes any parental reaction such as yelling or hitting) after he misbehaves.
The website then goes on to report the "correct" way to utilize "time out", which in essence seems to be the most important factor. Like most things in life, the objectives and methods used needs to be clear and consistent in order to be successful!
Please write in and share your own belief regarding "time out" and how you implement discipline either at home, at work or both.