THE TIME-OUT GRID - A GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE

Time-out has been demonstrated to be an effective behavior deceleratio n technique. Timeout is frequently used as a part of classroom managem ent; however, it can be difficult to implement. There are no standards for implementation of time-out in a classroom and a protocol would pr ove unwieldy. The Time-out Grid is presented as a simple heuristic too l that illustrates the fundamental feature of an effective time-out in tervention and subsequently guides those involved in the problem analy sis and program evaluation phases of consultation. Its conceptual foun dation is based on research that has demonstrated the importance of re lative reinforcing stimulus change in determining the effectiveness of time-out. The Time-out Grid assists in monitoring behavioral outcomes and the relative reinforcing properties of the time-in and time-out e nvironments, and suggests how to modify the time-out procedure to enha nce effectiveness. Specific procedural recommendations are provided fo r classroom implementation of time-out that can assist to increase the contrast in reinforcing stimuli between time-in and time-out.