see how tired i am? :/

been looking up basic principles again of operant conditioning to make sure i’m not erring here, and i’m nto convince that a ‘time-out room’ is in fact a ‘time out’ feature. the definition of ‘time out’ is a time spent in the absence of positive reinforcement. a time out room may well act as a means of preventing positive reinforcement of the child’s behaviour, true; but… to segregate the child from the others in his/her class and hold them in a separate enclosure is not time out: it is imprisonment, which is a different thing, and cannot have the same effect as time out.

the TEACCH website says this: ‘Many classrooms need to utilize a time-out area as a place for particular students to get away from distractions and stimulation and regain some self-control.’

this suggests strongly to me that the idea of time out is NOT to inflict an imprisonment but to remove the child from the IMMEDIATE reinforcing situation, without segregating him/her from his/her classmates.

in any case, at least in Georgia (but, in my view, it should be so elsewhere too!), what they call ’seclusionary time out’ (i. e., time-out rooms) should not be used without the express order of a licenced psychologist or medical practitioner FOR EACH TIME IT IS USED; the following site makes it clear that time out rooms are inappropriate for school use: http://www.behavior-consultant.com/Time-Out-Guidelines.pdf

just the two-penn’orth of an educational psychologist who is tired and needs to sleep.

Several months ago I attended an Autism Society of WA support group meeting. I listened to an Olympia School District mom describe how a few years ago her son came home with bruises. She told how her son, with Autism Spectrum Disorder, who attended the Jefferson Middle School TEACCH Program had been forced into what the staff referred to as “the box.” She described sections of plywood attached to the walls, with another piece of plywood staff would hold over the opening. He was apparently injured while being forced in or while frantically throwing himself against the plywood to get out. The mom had seen “the box” being used before on other children, but it was not part of her sons IEP. She brought her son into school and showed both the teacher and the principal his bruises.

I assumed this practice had ended in the Olympia School District, until recently. Not only has it not ended, it is used in both the preschool (with 3-4 year olds) and the elementary TEACCH programs.

Because the district claims to offer the “TEACCH Program”, I decided to contact the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Division TEACCH, not only the authority on TEACCH, but where it was founded. I corresponded with both, Dr. Kerry Hogan, Assistant Clinical Director, and Dr. Gary Mesibov, Director, Division TEACCH. I was shocked to learn that they were not affiliated with the Olympia School District, or any other Washington state school. This explains a lot of inconsistencies. Although teachers may have attended training, I feel the district calling their programs “The TEACCH Program” is misleading. The name suggests affiliation with Division TEACCH, not to say this is the districts intent.

After forwarding pictures and descriptions of how parents have described these “time-out boxes” being used, I received this response from Dr. Hogan:

“I do consult to some classes that have relaxation areas that may contain
sensory toys or other calming activities. The appropriate use of these
areas is to provide a break for a student who is stressed and to teach
positive coping skills but they are specifically not to be used as time
out. As I said, I can’t think of anyone at TEACCH who would suggest the
use of isolation for behavior management purposes especially if it
requires physical management of the child.”

Dr. Mesibov added that someone from Division TEACCH would be happy to come out and document whether the district is using TEACCH appropriately, if the board requests.

As the parent of a son with autism, I am deeply concerned about the treatment of autism in this district. Because of this issue and many others raised this year by families of autistic children, I am requesting the board bring in an independent Autism Expert to review current programs, IEPs, and compliance with IDEA 2004. I know the district is currently working with Dr. Steven Becker and another family. He is highly qualified and I will forward his information with my request via email.

As to the “voluntary” nature of the time out space that you mention, I have my doubts that it gets used voluntarily very frequently, although it may in fact be used quite frequently. I would recommend closely examining the laws applicable to your state on removing children from the educational environment.

You shouldn’t tolerate letting the kids be shut in a closet.