Using a Time Timer to increase appropriate waiting behavior in a child with developmental disabilities.

One child with developmental disabilities learned to wait for toys and snacks. The team used a red-disk kitchen timer called a Time Timer. They started with a one-second wait and slowly stretched it to ten minutes.

Each time the child waited without yelling or grabbing, he got the item plus praise. The timer gave a clear visual cue so the child could see time shrinking.

The child quickly learned to sit calmly for the full ten minutes. Problem behavior during waits dropped to near zero. The skill stayed strong after the study ended.

Parents reported easier shopping trips and smoother turns at home.

Three later studies—Majdalany et al. (2016), Xue et al. (2024), and van Timmeren et al. (2016)—show the opposite. They found that even tiny delays of two to twelve seconds slow down learning new words or tasks for kids with autism.

The difference is purpose. Dempsey et al. (2009) taught waiting as the goal. The other papers taught language or academic skills where immediate reinforcement works best.

Reichle et al. (2010) extend the idea by adding clear cues like 'three more tasks' and also saw better work completion, showing the timer method can be boosted with explicit signals.

Use a Time Timer when the target behavior is patience itself—standing in line, waiting for a snack, or taking turns. Keep reinforcers immediate when you are teaching brand-new skills like labels or math facts. Start with one second, add five seconds each phase, and praise calm waiting. You can fade the timer later once the child owns the skill.