Read My Fingertips: A Procedure for Enhancing the Effectiveness of Time-Out with Argumentative Children

ABSTRACT

Commonly occurring problems in implementing time-out are described together with a procedure for improving the effectiveness of time-out with verbally noncompliant children. The “Read My Fingertips” procedure is intended to reduce arguments and decrease aversive interactions between parents and their children during time-out. This procedure involves counting on one's fingertips each time a word is spoken by the child and equating the number of fingers counted with additional minutes in time-out. It is hoped that this procedure will facilitate the use of time-out with verbally non-compliant children.