Timeout has been used extensively within schools to address inappropriate behavior in children. In practice, timeout is not a single strategy; rather, it is a compilation of related practices. Some forms of timeout are research-based practices for modifying student behavior. However, others lack research support and frequently are misused,…

The 2022 Legislature directed the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to create an advisory workgroup with specific participants to report back on topics related to student isolation and seclusion. This legislative report provides a background on the workgroup, history of isolation and restraint, current practices in the state of…

Mary Santelman discusses all forms of biting, the labeling of a biter, the biter as victim or victimizer, and record keeping of biting behavior. On the list of toddler behaviors, she also examines tantrums, including insights into the child's emotional needs, calming down, kicking, hugging, throwing things, and hurting people. Mary describes…

Over the past several years, allegations of abuse and death related to seclusion and restraint, media coverage of these events, subsequent federal investigations, and Congressional hearings about this topic have resulted in increased pressure on Congress to pass legislation to address the use of seclusion and restraint in the school setting.…

The academic and social challenges facing public schools are enormous. For example, the pressure to meet the demands of the current high-stakes testing environment and reach adequate yearly progress (AYP) goals has arguably never been greater (Luna & Turner, 2001; Sanders, 2003). The energy devoted to academics has supplanted the little time spent…

School-related difficulties are commonly associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This article describes effective school-based intervention strategies including behavioral interventions, modifications to academic instruction, and home-school communication programs. One overlooked aspect of treatment of children with ADHD…

Teachers used a nonexclusionary time-out package emphasizing ongoing participation to treat inappropriate social behaviors in 4 classrooms of roughly 16 preschool children each. Behavior improved in terms of several measures including direct observation. Opinions of treatment acceptability from a survey of 210 lay people were also found to support…

The use of seclusion timeout in school settings has again become controversial. For more than 35 years there have been recommendations that states and schools develop policies and procedures regarding the use of seclusion timeout in school settings. Recent lawsuits brought against school districts accusing them of violating student rights through…

Time-out as a method of managing pupil behavior is explained. A definition and historical and philosophical perspectives are offered. The method has been used in Victoria (Australia), the United States, and Great Britain. Also considered are legal responsibilities, a time-out continuum, implementation, positive aspects of time out, and abuse and…

Use of primarily reinforcement-based behavioral procedures decreased aggressive pinching in a 10-year-old severely retarded female to near-zero levels. Procedures included differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO), DRO plus timeout, DRO plus response prevention, and differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior. Results were…

Paradoxical strategies appear to provide a change in the dynamics of the teacher-child relationship and are thus a more systemic way of viewing problem behavior than time-out procedures. Three case studies are presented in which the paradoxical strategies have varying degrees of success. (Author/ABB)

A parent training program which is highly effective in the treatment of child noncompliance and other behavior problems of 3- to 8-year-old children is described and data on the program's effectiveness are presented. (PHR)

Contrasts instructive and punitive views of discipline in the early childhood setting. Maintains that caregivers' starting conception of discipline determines how they look at and treat child misbehavior. Contrasts time-out and time-in as approaches to dealing with a child's acting up. Asserts that instructive discipline helps children appreciate…

The effects of a simple timeout procedure on the eye gouging and head wagging behavior of a totally blind, seven-year-old child were studied. Parent and staff reports suggested that the reduction in manneristic behaviors was associated with the emergence of more acceptable and age appropriate social behavior. (SEW)

This case study reports use of ignoring, positive reinforcement, passive restraint, and time-out in treatment of a 10-year-old girl with profound retardation and disruptive behaviors in home and classroom. Time-out was the most effective intervention with all three target behaviors, with improved behaviors maintained for at least six months.…