A time-out refers to a highly restrictive procedure in which the participant is denied egress from an enclosed area when exhibiting a problem behavior. A time-out shall follow the criteria in § 46:11:05:06.01 and shall meet the following requirements:

1. (1) Provider staff shall provide continuous observation of the participant;
2. (2) A time-out may not occur in an enclosed area that may be locked with a key;
3. (3) Provider staff shall have immediate access to the participant;
4. (4) The use of a designated time-out room is prohibited; and

5. (5) A time-out may only be used as part of a behavior support plan approved by both the human rights and behavior support committees.

   A time-out may not be used in a punitive fashion. Each use of a time-out may not exceed 15 minutes. If after 15 minutes, the participant continues to exhibit a problem behavior that poses a threat to the participant or others, the use of a time-out may continue for another 15 minutes. The maximum amount of time a participant may be in time-out shall not exceed one continuous hour. The provider shall document any use of the time-out.

Source: 22 SDR 104, effective February 13, 1996; 27 SDR 63, effective December 31, 2000; 40 SDR 102, effective December 3, 2013; 43 SDR 9, effective August 2, 2016.

General Authority: SDCL 27B-2-26(3)(4).

Law Implemented: SDCL 27B-2-26(3)(4) , 27B-8-52 , 27B-8-56.

Prior versions effective: 2013-12-03.