The timeout ribbon: a nonexclusionary timeout procedure.
A three-minute ribbon removal plus ignored attention cuts classroom disruption fast and keeps kids in the room.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Five children with intellectual disability wore a bright ribbon on their wrist.
When a child yelled or hit, the teacher took the ribbon away for three minutes.
During those three minutes the teacher also gave no attention.
The study used an ABAB design to show the ribbon caused the change.
What they found
Disruptive behavior dropped from a large share of the day to a large share.
A second teacher got the same result, so it was not just one adult.
The gains lasted two weeks later without extra training.
How this fits with other research
Webb et al. (1999) later used a similar timeout for kids with ADHD and also saw near-zero disruption.
Jones et al. (1992) found a twist: when a new teacher took over, ribbon timeout stopped working, but kids taught to ask for attention kept their gains.
Fay (1970) and Anger et al. (1976) show you can cut disruption with candy or home points instead of timeout.
These studies together say: quick teacher actions work, but teaching a new skill lasts longer.
Why it matters
You can start using the ribbon tomorrow. It needs no extra staff and keeps the child in class. Pair it later with teaching the child to ask for help so the gains stick when staff change.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Recently, the use of timeout rooms has been questioned by various agencies, and some have adopted policies that prohibit or greatly restrict exclusionary timeout. The present study developed a timeout procedure that did not require removal of the misbehaver from the learning environment. The procedure was applied to the disruptive behaviors of five severely retarded children in an institutional special-education classroom. An observer prompted all teacher behaviors related to the procedures to assure their precise implementation. After baseline, a reinforcement-only condition was implemented. Each child was given a different colored ribbon to wear as a tie and received edibles and praise every few minutes for good behavior and for wearing the ribbon. When timeout was added, a child's ribbon was removed for any instance of misbehavior and teacher attention and participation in activities ceased for three minutes or until the misbehavior stopped. Reinforcement continued at other times for appropriate behavior. An ABCBC reversal design was used to demonstrate control of the behavior by the conditions applied. On average, the children misbehaved 42% and 32% of the time during the baseline and reinforcement conditions respectively but only 6% of the time during the timeout conditions. A followup probe during the new school year revealed that the teacher was able to conduct the procedure independently and that the children's disruptive behaviors were maintained at low levels. The practicality and acceptability of the procedure were supported further by the successful implementation of the procedure by a teacher in another state and by responses to a questionnaire given to 40 mental health professionals. The ribbon procedure appears to be a viable form of timeout, provided that disruptive behaviors during timeout can be tolerated within the setting, or a backup procedure such as exclusionary timeout can be tolerated within the setting, or a backup procedure such as exclusionary timeout is available when needed.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1978 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1978.11-125