Time Away and Attention

Time Away has many similarities to Redirection, where children are directed away from the source of the problem and engaged in other activities with other children or with a provider. Time Away differs from Redirection in that children aren't given the opportunity to interact with others when separated and directed to another activity. Please note, however, in many early childhood classroom programs, any separation of a child from their peer group is considered punishment and both Time Out and Time Away are disallowed.

The theory behind Time Away is to separate children, not only from the source of the problem, but from sources of attention in the environment that reinforce behavior. Attention is a powerful influence on behavior, that is, the more attention you provide to a particular behavior or behaviors, the more likely those behavior/s will continue to occur. This holds true whether the behavior is considered appropriate or inappropriate. Typically, we provide attention or "attend to" misbehavior by interacting verbally with children. Often this takes the form of trying to direct, question or reason with children. In addition, we attend to misbehavior through facial expressions, gestures or even how our body is positioned in relation to the child in the environment. When we add emotion, we amplify our attention and create an experience that children perceive ultimately as either negative or positive. When we respond to misbehavior with negative emotion, such as anger or frustration, levels of stress increase and avenues of communication with children break down. Children end up focusing on the provider's demeanor, not on the problem, and may actually escalate their behavior in response to a perceived threat. Therefore, it is important when we employ Time Away, or any other consequence for misbehavior, not only to provide children with minimal attention but reflect an attitude of love and respect.

Even young children who are perceived to have behavior problems participate and cooperate in most daily activities at home or school. Unfortunately, this appropriate behavior is often overlooked or unnoticed. Our tendency is to over-respond to misbehavior and under-respond when children are acting appropriately. Our challenge is to change the dynamics of how we provide attention and emotion to children's behavior. Children will learn what actions receive the most attention and emotion and will adjust their behavior accordingly.