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jen 09:56 AM 07-15-2011
I think some of it is OK...some of it really depends on your perspective. For example, time out. The author states that time out isn't meant as a punishment, but an opportunity to calm down. That is true for a toddler, but not true for an older child. In the case of this article, the author states that after the child calmed down, the parent should explain why the behavior is wrong. If the child is old enough to understand, especially after some time has passed, then time out is a punisher, at least from a behavior modification standpoint.

A "punisher" is something that lessons the probability of a behavior being repeated in the future. A "time out" from a positive reinforcer (such as playing) is in fact using punishment...

The head banging is simply the child's way of attempting to escape the consequence of his or her behavior and if we go and hold the child, we are reinforcing head banging behavior. A REALLY bad idea. If a child head bangs in time out, a better option would be to put them someplace where they can't hurt themselves or give them a helmet. The same goes for providing comfort while in time out.

This article has a lot of psuedo-science in it and didn't differentiate the appropriate use of time out by age...which, truthfully, is why I don't think it works well. People use it to punish a child who is too young and use it as a cuddle session for a child that is too old.
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