School Age Child Tantrum Question

Jmollo28

Hello,

I'm pregnant and due June 16th - this is my first baby.  My husband has a daughter - my SD who is 9, going to be 10 in July.  We have her full time - the mother is not in the picture.

SD has tantrums.  She's had them her entire life, even before I came into the picture.  When DH and I met, I suggested we get her into therapy.  So, SD has been in therapy for 2.5 years.  She has not been diagnosed with anything and has undergone 2 behavioral tests. 

SD has tantrums specifically for attention.Lately, she's been hitting my husband (her father) and we've tried everyhting - time out, positive reinforcement with stickers (which we reward her daily, since making it a few days without a tantrum isn't possible) we've grounded, we've had her grandmother come pick her up.   We are out of ideas.  We've read books, gone to her therapist and gotten suggestions from her.

The problem is this - SD wants attention - she will do anything and eveything for attention (even though she gets a lot.. specifically from her dad) - and she will not stay in time out.  Even when we tell her that we are angry and WE need space, she will not stop running around our house yelling.  At this point, I'm 7 months pregnant and I'm very concerned that this is going to effect my pregnancy and my unborn son.

I would like to lock her in her bedroom.  NOw, I know that sounds bad, but I'm not talking about locking it and going outside or leaving. I'm talking about ONLY locking it when time out is necessary and she is screaming, hitting, and punching.  We will tell her that she must stay in there until she is calm and offer 10 min time outs. That way, she is in a controlled situation (not running around the house) and she is forced to be alone during her tantrums.

Is that bad? is it illegal?  We are out of ideas.  DH thinks its an incredibly bad idea.  He states it is child endangerment.  Her bedroom is a safe secure place for her and I think it is more safe for her to have a "reinforced" time out.. than to run around the house screaming and hitting people.

 Any ideas?  Is it ok to lock a child in their room - ONLY to reinforce time out?