When I ask you what time-out looks like, do you think of sticking your child in the corner of the room or placing them in their room and demanding they not come out? Contrary to popular thinking, time-out does not involve merely removing your child to a sequestered setting.

Time out is a behavior management strategy known to nearly every parent, is one of the most misunderstood and badly used strategies for dealing with inappropriate behavior of children. But when used properly, it is a very effective behavior management strategy to quickly reduce undesired behavior. 

Let's Define Time-Out

Time-out means time away from positive reinforcement. Formally, once a child is in a time-out situation, they don't have an opportunity to gain a reward for a specific period of time, such as adult attention (just to give one example). In order for your time-out procedure to truly be a time out, it requires three components. First, there must be a difference between the time in and time out...