Time outs are the big fad of this generation. I have used them myself with varying levels of success. I found that time outs worked better when my son was younger. As he has moved on to his school-age years, I find that putting objects into time out works much more effectively to curb his behavior than putting him into time out.

People do time outs in different ways, but most agree on the formula of one minute of time out per year of life. For example, you would put a two-year-old child into time out for two minutes. When my son was a toddler, I gave... more

I wish we’d had more training on behavior management before accepting a foster or adoptive child. Now that I have opportunities to work with other foster and adoptive families, I hope to make that a big part of what I can share. I’m certain that more knowledge and tools can be a huge help to families working with children that have special behavioral needs. One technique that most parents have heard of is time out. Here are some thoughts and ideas on time out.

Three types of time out

1)... more

How do you put a child with ADHD in a time out? Successfully, that is?

This is an actual photo of my son when asked to take himself to a time out. It will likely not surprise you to learn that he has ADHD. Here are some tips to change a time out from the way it looks in this photo and something a lot more successful! 1) Have a defined area for his bottom and/or for his legs. With a chair, tell him that his bottom is to stay on the chair and his legs folded down the sides. A carpet square works... more