How do you approach time outs for your toddler? Or how do you teach your toddlers how to stop bad behaviours? Especially toddlers on the spectrum? My daughter is 3 and has started to act out violently when put in time out. We only do time outs after she’s been asked many times to not hit the cat or stop certain dangerous behaviours. Her time out is to sit in a chair for three minutes, but one of us has to pick her up to go in time out or else she won’t go.

When we pick her up she violently scratches, punches, hits, spits, and screams bloody murder. She screams bloody murder the entire time she’s in time out, and it’s so loud I’m worried someone will call the police!

We like to practice more gentle parenting techniques, but are at a loss here. We don’t spank and we don’t yell or slap, so please don’t recommend things along those lines. She is suspected to be on the spectrum but has not had a full evaluation yet, so any help or advice from parents with children on the spectrum is appreciated!