Does "Time-Out" Work for Children with Autism?

Time-out is commonly misunderstood but it can be effective in managing undesirable behaviours among children with autism.

What is time-out and is it effective?

Contrary to popular misconceptions, time-out is more than just simply removing a child from an ongoing activity for a period of time. It involves placing the child in an environment which is less reinforcing for them and has been effective in reducing undesirable or disruptive behaviours such as shouting, tantrums, aggression and non-compliance behaviours (Wolf et al., 2006). This strategy has also been recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in managing behaviour among children with autism (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2021). 

Time-out is most effective when paired with positive reinforcement strategies such as praises (eg. “Good job following instructions!”) or additional privileges (eg. extra play time). Implementing it as a consistent and structured strategy allows parents to remain calm during the process, and allows the child to know the behaviours which you do not want him/her to be engaging in, while providing some space and time for them to calm down. Upon completion of time-out, the positive attention and affection from parents would enable the child to regain emotional control which further supports their behaviour change (James, 2020).

How can you implement time-out?

• Time-out can be introduced through a visual chart indicating the number of times before the behaviour results in a time-out, or showing the particular behaviour(s) leading to a time-out.  

• Let your child know that they will be having a time-out and provide the reason for it, eg. “You are still throwing your toys even though I have told you to stop”. / “No throwing” (shorter reasons would work better for younger children). 

• Time-out should be implemented as soon as the problem behaviour occurs and should not exceed 3-5 minutes (Martinelli, 2023). 

• Avoid giving your child attention eg. looking or talking to them and reducing their access to other reinforcers such as toys. 

• If there are attempts to escape, block it and return them back to the area with minimal interaction (Kemp, 2017).  

• Upon returning from time-out, provide opportunities to praise your child and give positive feedback for desirable behaviours, eg. “Good playing gently with your toys!” / “I like how you are sitting nicely!”. 

• Teach your child a more appropriate behaviour, eg. “You can tap me to get my attention”. 

It might be challenging at the start when trying to implement time-out for your child. However, keep in mind that time-out is not a one-time solution, but might take multiple trials before the behaviour decreases. Setting clear expectations and praising positive behaviours is important to help your child identify desirable behaviours.  

Written by: Mary-Anne 

References

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2021). Behaviour challenges- Autism toolkit. https://publications.aap.org/patiented/article/doi/10.1542/peo_document577/82060/Behavior-Challenges-Autism-Toolkit

Kemp, C. (2017, January 24). Many parents use time-outs incorrectly. American Academy of Pediatrics. https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/11861/Many-parents-use-time-outs-incorrectly?autologincheck=redirected

Martinelli, K. (2023, April 14). Are time outs harmful to children? Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/article/are-time-outs-harmful-kids/

Wolf, T. L., McLaughlin, T. F., & Williams, R. L. (2006). Time-out interventions and strategies: A brief review and recommendations. International Journal of Special Education, 21(3), 22–29. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ843616