Time-out is a common disciplinary technique used by parents and teachers for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The goal of time-out is to temporarily remove a child from an enjoyable activity after a problematic behavior, with the aim of decreasing that behavior in the future. However, there are ongoing questions about whether kids with ASD actually understand the purpose of time-out in the same way as neurotypical children.
What is time-out?
Time-out involves removing a child from a desirable situation and placing them in a separate, boring environment for a set period of time, usually 1-5 minutes. This serves as a mild punishment to discourage unwanted behaviors. Time-out is recommended over more severe punishments like spanking. It aims to give the child a chance to calm down and reflect on their actions.
For time-out to work, the child is first given a warning when they engage in an inappropriate behavior, such as hitting. If they continue, they are placed in time-out. This teaches them that the negative behavior results in losing access to fun activities. Over time, they learn to avoid that behavior to stay engaged with preferred toys or peers.
Do all kids understand time-out?
Research shows that most neurotypical children begin understanding time-out between 18-24 months of age. At this age, they can associate their behavior with the consequence of being temporarily removed from the activity. They also start to understand the warning and that continuing the behavior will lead to time-out.
However, for children with ASD, the effectiveness of time-out is less clear. Many children with autism have difficulties with communication, behavior regulation, and social interaction. This affects their ability to understand instructions, control impulses, and connect behaviors to consequences.
Challenges with time-out for autistic kids
There are several reasons an autistic child may not understand or respond to time-out in the same way as neurotypical peers:
- Difficulty with receptive language – Children with ASD may have trouble understanding verbal instructions or warnings related to time-out.
- Focus on details – Autistic kids tend to focus on details rather than big-picture cause-and-effect. They may not grasp the connection between their behavior and time-out.
- Weak central coherence – This refers to difficulty understanding context. Autistic kids struggle seeing how behaviors, warnings, and time-out all fit together.
- Executive functioning challenges – This involves skills like self-control, planning, and self-monitoring. Autistic kids often have deficits in these areas, making it hard to regulate behavior.
- Sensory sensitivities – Loud, chaotic environments can overwhelm an autistic child. Time-out spaces with minimal stimulation work better.
- Emotional regulation issues – Autistic kids may have intense emotional reactions to time-out. Tantrums or meltdowns in response to time-out are common.
Due to these types of difficulties, autistic children often do not seem to learn from time-out. The same inappropriate behaviors continue even after repeated use of time-out. This leads parents and teachers to conclude it is ineffective for behavior management.
Strategies to help autistic kids understand time-out
While autistic children face challenges with time-out, researchers have identified some strategies that can improve its effectiveness:
- Use short time limits for time-out based on the child’s age (1 minute per year of age). Long time-outs do not work well.
- Provide visual timers or cues to show time passing during time-out. This helps autistic kids understand when time-out will end.
- Consider using written behavior expectations and consequences like a visual schedule. Seeing rules and outcomes depicted visually may help more than verbal warnings.
- Offer praise and rewards for appropriate behavior, not just consequences for negative behavior. Reinforce wanted behaviors.
- Make sure time-out spaces are low stimulation. Removing toys is not enough – minimize decor, sounds, and visual distractions.
- Never use time-out spaces that isolate or scare a child. Stay calm and neutral rather than angry when giving time-out.
- Be consistent. Using time-out for targeted behaviors every time helps autistic kids learn the connection.
With adaptations like these, many experts believe time-out can still be an effective discipline strategy for children on the autism spectrum. But other alternatives should also be considered.
Alternatives to time-out
If an autistic child repeatedly struggles with time-out, parents and teachers have other behavior management options to try. Some effective alternatives include:
- Positive reinforcement – Reward appropriate behaviors more than punishing negative behaviors. Praise and small treats or prizes can motivate autistic kids.
- Differential reinforcement – Reinforce alternative positive behaviors while withholding reinforcement for negative behaviors.
- Functional communication training – Replace inappropriate behaviors with more appropriate communicative responses. Teach a child to say “toy please” instead of grabbing.
- Token economy systems – Kids earn tokens or points for positive behaviors they can later trade in for rewards. Clear structure and frequent payouts are key.
- Social narratives – These tell short stories explaining social rules and expectations in a format autistic kids understand. They use literal language and visuals.
- Video modeling – Films show desired behaviors. The autistic child mimics and practices the behavior they observe on video.
These interventions help autistic kids learn wanted behaviors in a positive, structured, visual way. They can be used together with time-out or in place of time-out if needed.
The impact of developmental level
An autistic child’s developmental and mental age affects whether they respond to time-out. Research shows:
- Autistic kids under 18-24 months generally do not understand time-out.
- Children ages 2-5 with mild ASD and average cognition may understand short time-outs combined with other strategies like rewards.
- Older autistic kids with moderate-severe ASD and intellectual disability remain unlikely to understand time-out.
- High-functioning autistic kids over age 5 with average IQs have the highest success with time-out if parents implement it consistently.
So while many young or intellectually disabled autistic children do not respond to time-out, more mature, higher-functioning autistic kids may understand the meaning of time-out by around age 5. But it still requires adaptations like visuals, predictability, and brevity to work well.
Parent and teacher perspectives
In one survey study, parents and teachers described their experiences using time-out with autistic children between ages 3-9 years old. The results are shown in the table below:
| Respondent Group | Report Time-Out is Effective | Note No Change in Behavior with Time-Out |
|---|---|---|
| Parents | 35% | 48% |
| Special education teachers | 44% | 32% |
| General education teachers | 26% | 62% |
Key findings:
- Only about 1/3 of parents found time-out effective for their autistic child.
- Almost half of parents saw no behavior change with time-out.
- Special education teachers had the most success with time-out, but still reported no change in behavior for 1/3 of students.
- General education teachers had the least success with autistic students understanding time-out.
Overall, this data matches research showing many autistic kids, especially those fully included in mainstream classrooms, do not respond to time-out in the same way as neurotypical students. Sensory needs, communication challenges, and developmental delays likely all contribute to these struggles.
Using time-out appropriately
Most experts recommend a cautious approach to using time-out with autistic children. Guidelines include:
- Start by trying other positive behavior supports like reinforcement, token economies, or social narratives.
- Only introduce time-out if needed for serious behaviors like aggression or self-injury.
- Tailor time-out procedures to the individual child’s sensitivities and development.
- Monitor closely and discontinue time-out if the child becomes distressed or it is ineffective after sufficient trial.
- Never use time-out punitively, as extended isolation, or to replace positive teaching strategies.
When used appropriately, time-out can be part of a comprehensive behavior plan. But other strategies are likely needed for autistic kids to understand expectations and regulate their behavior.
Conclusion
Time-out is a common discipline strategy, but many children with ASD do not respond to it in the ideal way. Their developmental, communication, and sensory needs make it harder to connect the time-out consequence to their behavior. Still, some higher-functioning autistic kids may understand brief time-out when adapted to their learning style. Using visual supports, consistency, and developmental appropriateness can improve success. But parents and teachers should also explore additional positive behavior supports. Time-out works best as just one carefully implemented component of a broader behavior plan for an autistic child.