Time Out Rooms

Used as a last resort in cases of danger to the individual with special needs or emotional disturbance, the timeout room, also known as a resource or isolation room, becomes a place of seclusion and physical restraint to defuse a dangerous situation, protect the individual and others from injury, and stabilize the environment. While the timeout room’s purpose is to restrain the individual, it also can have huge impact on the individual’s emotional well-being. The space should convey respect and warmth, not harshness and isolation.

Frequently, the time out room is located in the center of the facility visible to all individuals passing by. In addition, at times, it is directly located off of the social hub. The sense of shame or guilt that the secluded individual feels when friends and acquaintances walk by is great. In addition, the distractions that occur to the others in the adjacent social hub or corridor are also great. The solution to this is to locate the room for privacy. This serves to provide the individual with greater dignity, removes the audience from the individual that at times can be stimulating, and removes the disruption from others in adjacent spaces.

Within the space itself, while it must be durable against true physical violence and personal harm, there are simple design solutions that can be brought into play. They include the application of cheerful colors, creative inexpensive murals, and calming videos behind indestructible materials. These applications on the ceiling plane can assist in reducing the destruction that can occur to them.

© Purple Cherry Architects 2008