Editing Time-out (parenting) (section)

==Disadvantages==
Critics of time-out include [[Thomas Gordon (psychologist)|Thomas Gordon]], [[Gabor Maté|Gabor Mate]], [[Alfie Kohn]] and [[Aletha Solter]], who claim that the approach may lead to short-term compliance but has the same disadvantages as other forms of punishment.<ref>{{cite web |quote=Seasoned teachers say 'Time-outs only seem to work at first because of shock value and over time it becomes less effective.' |url=https://afineparent.com/be-positive/effective-discipline.html |work=afineparent.com |first=Stephanie |last=Byrne-Biancardi |date=December 14, 2014 |title=6 Secrets of Highly Effective Discipline From a Seasoned Teacher }}</ref> According to these authors, the use of time-out does not enhance moral behavior or teach children useful conflict-resolution skills and it fails to address the underlying cause of the behavior. Furthermore, they claim that the parent/child bond can be damaged by forced isolation and withdrawal of love in an effort to control a child's behavior and this can lead to feelings of insecurity or anxiety in children, though there is no evidence that this occurs.

In addition to the potential psychological drawbacks resulting from the use of time-out, there also appears to be a risk to the child's developing brain, according to research in neuroscience by [[Daniel J. Siegel]]. "In a brain scan, relational pain (that caused by isolation during punishment) can look the same as physical abuse," and "Repeated experiences actually change the physical structure of the brain."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Siegel |first1=D.J. |last2=Bryson |first2=T.P. |date=September 23, 2014 |title='Time-Outs' Are Hurting Your Child |work=Time Magazine |url=https://time.com/3404701/discipline-time-out-is-not-good/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140923162459/http://time.com/3404701/discipline-time-out-is-not-good/ |access-date=27 April 2023 |url-status=live |archive-date=23 September 2014 }}</ref> The Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology issued a response to Siegel, arguing that his claims were "outrageous" and unsupported by research.<ref name=":1" /> Dr. Siegel later backed away from this statement and claimed that Time Magazine distorted his message. He clarified, "The 'appropriate' use of time-outs calls for brief, infrequent, previously explained breaks from an interaction used as part of a thought-out parenting strategy that is followed by positive feedback and connection with a parent. This seems not only reasonable, but it is an overall approach supported by the research as helpful for many children."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://drdansiegel.com/you-said-what-about-time-outs/ |title=You Said WHAT About Time-Outs?! |first=Dan |last=Siegel |website=drdansiegel.com |date=29 October 2014 |access-date=2016-05-11}}</ref>

New "strong" positive parenting approaches suggest avoiding punishment in general, including time-outs. Advocates of strong positive parenting argue that children's misbehavior may be due to underlying issues rather than simple defiance, and punishing these behaviors will only lead to avoidance without fixing the underlying issue.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Holden |first1=George W. |last2=Grogan-Kaylor |first2=Andrew |last3=Durrant |first3=Joan E. |last4=Gershoff |first4=Elizabeth T. |date=2017-07-04 |title=Researchers Deserve a Better Critique: Response to Larzelere, Gunnoe, Roberts, and Ferguson (2017) |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01494929.2017.1308899 |journal=Marriage & Family Review |language=en |volume=53 |issue=5 |pages=465–490 |doi=10.1080/01494929.2017.1308899 |s2cid=152184325 |issn=0149-4929|pmc=10824463 }}</ref>

The Australian Association for Infant Mental Health has published a position statement in which the use of time-out is considered inappropriate for children under three years of age, and "needs to be carefully considered in relation to the individual child’s experience and needs" for children past this age.<ref>{{cite web |work=Australian Association for Infant Mental Health |url=http://www.aaimhi.org/inewsfiles/Position%20Paper%203.pdf |title=Position Paper 3: Time Out |date=July 2009 |access-date=2013-09-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130908074504/http://www.aaimhi.org/inewsfiles/Position%20Paper%203.pdf |archive-date=2013-09-08 }}</ref> They suggest the use of "time-in" instead, where children are taken away from the situation but not excluded from parent interaction.

The use of time-out needs to be carefully considered in families dealing with special challenges. In a review of parenting intervention programs for drug-abusing mothers, researchers found that programs emphasizing behavioral approaches to discipline (such as the use of time-out and rewards) "were not successful in fostering measurable improvement in mother-child interactions or promoting child development." An attachment-based approach focusing on strengthening the parent/child relationship was found to be more successful than behavioral approaches in changing children's behavior in these families.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Suchman |last2=Pajulo |first2=M. |last3=DeCoste |first3=C. |last4=Mayes |first4=L.C. |year=2006 |title=Parenting Interventions for Drug-Dependent Mothers and Their Young Children: The Case for an Attachment-Based Approach |journal=Family Relations |volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=211–226 |pmc=1847954 |pmid=17417669 |doi=10.1111/j.1741-3729.2006.00371.x }}</ref>

Other studies have found that the traditional behavioral approach to discipline (such as the use of time-out and rewards) can be challenging with children in foster care with attachment disorders resulting from early abuse or neglect. Foster parents benefit from training that addresses these children's attachment and emotional issues, as well as traditional parenting techniques.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wotherspoon |first1=E. |last2=O'Neill-Laberge |first2=M. |last3=Pirie |first3=J. |year=2008 |title=Meeting the emotional needs of infants and toddlers in foster care: the collaborative mental health care experience |journal=[[Infant Mental Health Journal]] |volume=29 |issue=4 |pages=377–397 |doi=10.1002/imhj.20185 |pmid=28636157 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Time-out has been misused to the point of becoming abusive in some schools and so proper training for educational professionals is important. There are reported cases of children being locked in closets for extended periods of solitary confinement for behaviors such as crying or failing to finish an assignment.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hyman |first=I. |year=1990 |chapter=Child abusers' destructive use of 'time-out' |title=Reading, Writing and the Hickory Stick |page=139-140, 12-13 |isbn=9780669219906 |chapter-url=http://www.nospank.net/timeout.htm |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cUWdAAAAMAAJ }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Some experts call school time-out rooms 'abuse.' |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-10-20-time-out-discipline_N.htm |url-status=dead |work=[[USA Today]] |date=October 20, 2008 |access-date=April 27, 2023 |first=Michael |last=Crumb |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213230748/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-10-20-time-out-discipline_N.htm |archive-date=2015-02-13 |agency=[[Associated Press]] }}</ref> These are not examples of appropriate use of time-out.