80 The Explosive Childdo what they’re asking, you’ll earn points; if you don’t,
you’ll get a time-out”), her parents’ warning would actu-
ally cause Amy to become more frustrated and agitated,
her thinking increasingly disorganized and irrational, and
her control over her words and actions greatly reduced.
Amy’s parents would interpret her increased intensity
and failure to respond to their commands as an attempt
to force them to “back down” or “give in” and would warn
her of an impending time-out. Amy, now bereft of any
semblance of rationality, would begin screaming and
lashing out. Her parents would take Amy by the arm to
escort her to time-out, an action that would further in-
tensify her frustration and irrationality. Amy would resist
being placed in time-out. Her parents would try to re-
strain her physically in time-out (many books no longer
recommend this practice, but the book Amy’s parents
were using wasn’t one of them) or confine her to her
room until she calmed down. The struggle to keep Amy
in time-out or confine her to her room would further in-
tensify her explosion. She would try to hit, kick, bite,
scratch, and spit on her parents. Once locked in her
room—when her parents were actually able to get her
there and keep her there—she would try to destroy any-
thing she could get her hands on, including some of her
favorite toys.
Eventually, meaning somewhere in the range of ten
minutes to two hours, Amy would become completely