From the article: Toilet Train Your Child with Autism
Toilet training can be very tough for children with autism. Often, the process can go on for years, and typical toilet training methods just don't work. But many parents and therapists have found tricks and techniques that really do work for kids on the autism spectrum. If you've found a sure-fire toilet training method for children with autism, please share it here! Share Your Toileting Tips
elimination control
- the method of potty training in eastern cultures works very well for nearly all children.. search EC, or infant potty training, and you will find resources necessary to help you "potty train" your infant (and yourself!)..since it is actually very natural for a baby to learn when and how to potty, it is us in the western cultures who need to be "trained"! i used this method w/ two children, one of whom is autistic.
- —Guest jen
Careful of long toilet sits
- We've been battling constipation and toileting issues for the past 4 years with my 9 yr old asperger son. Recently we've gone to a physio specializing in constipation problems. They said not to have your child sit for more that 5 minutes on the toilet, as it will be bad for them (keegle sp? muscle). Our son has been better since the stigma of sitting in poopy pants has kicked in, but still has the odd accident. He still pees the bed every night.
- —Guest MidLifeCrisis
AS and potty
- My kid is 6, a (now)possible Asperger's Diagnosis. We warred with her 4 years to 'get' pottying and only kept her clean and dry by all the adults putting her on potty on a schedule. She could hold it, but not self initiate. Then when she was 5 one day she said in great surprise, "I have to go to the bathroom" and had a BM in the potty by herself. This was when she & I finally understood that until that moment she didn't know when she needed to go. She now can self initiate BM's except when sleeping so I do have big clean ups from her pullup some mornings. The pee took another 6 mo, and she still has an accident if really absorbed in a project/activity. Finally got a referral to a potty specialist this is helping. Most useful is that she says it feels inside like 'pressure' and now she knows that is the signal. This was not in any reference to say, so this description may help you with your kid. Also, sometimes they really can't tell or aren't ready and you know your kid best.
- —bleyswriter
Potty training
- My son Austin is four year old when we starting working on peeing we would set the timmer for every hour he is autistic he is verbal. now he goes to the potty and tells me it took me a year to teach him that. Now he is having problems and wont go poop in the potty he just goes in his pants hes pee potty trained now we have one more year before school starts to get him to poop in the potty it is very stressful and very messy. trying to find a way to work with him but its hard to tell when he has to go.....
- —Guest Jessica
shannon
- My daughter just turned 5 years old, and has autism, (Non-Verbal). But, she was potty trained at age two. She loved dora the explorer, so I sat her on the potty with her portable DVD player and dora video. The first time I did this, she went!!!! In three days, I didn't even need the DVD any longer.... GOOD LUCK!!!!
- —Guest shannon
potty training
- My son was 3.5 years old whan he was successful on the potty. My husband and I would read him lots of potty stories (he loves books). The sticker chart also worked, but being consistant was difficult. One day he just started to go. I think the GF CF diet also helped. Every child is different and is interested in different things. Be creative and fun with your child.
- —Guest potty training
The Potty Song
- I have a five yr old autistic son who I HAVE BEEN HAVING STRUGGLES potty training. This past week he has started attempting to take himself or tell me. When we are in the bathroom we sing potty songs. Now when he goes to the bathroom he will sing the songs I made up and will go. I am so proud of him and love him so much.
- —Guest Amanda
respect and patience.
- My son is autistic and was in nappies ubtil 7 years old for pooing. He was very frightened of pooping and would stop himself from 'going', and as he got a bit older was able to go to the bathroom but only to poop in a pull-up. We started social stories and 'training' but stopped very quickly as it seemed to make such a drama out of something so primal. . didn't want to give him hang-ups for life about going to the toilet. SO!, occasionally (once each 3-6 months)I would talk him through what it might feel like when he did a poo on the loo, and I would suggest that when he felt ready he would be able to do this. No pressure, just respect and a positive framework. The day after he turned 7 he emerged from the bathroom smiling and said, "I've just done a poo on the loo with no nappy!". It remains one of my proudest parenting moments; he mastered the milestone in his own way and in his own time. Please don't hassle your child about going to the toilet and be patient. x
- —Saskie1
potty training
- My son was four and a half years old when he was finally potty trained. I went and saw a behavior specialist for advise. 1st we changed his diet to gluten and casein free. His stools became soiled so he could feel the urge to go. 2nd we made visual potty cards. These were six index cards that showed steps to use the potty. Card one was a doorway. Card two was picture of pants pulled down. Card three showed a boy sitting down. Card four showed pee pee coming out. Card five pulling pants up. Card six was flush. Every time he accomplished any of these tasks he received a sticker on that card. We also had him naked in the home for about a month during potty training, because he would not go on the floor. we are starting this process with my daughter right now, she's 2 1/2. she doesn't have the cards, just running around naked. Yesterday she went 16 times on the potty. It works for us. Good luck.
- —Guest lisa
NCTMB, CST
- Try CranioSacral Therapy, it releases fascial restrictions between the brain and the tailbone faciliating awareness and control. I have had dozens of clients toilet train and reduce nighttime bedwetting many, with just a few sessions.
- —Guest Tami Goldstein
Mom
- Our son loves puzzles. We had a puzzle in the bathroom. Each time he kept his pull up dry and peed in the toilet we let him put a puzzle piece in the puzzle. When the puzzle was full he traded it in for something he loved (which happened to be video tapes ( I found a bunch on rummage sales)). We started with a 4 piece puzzle so he could have success quickly. We progressed to a 25 piece puzzle. When he got pretty good at it we faded the puzzle out. Later we used it again for bowel movements. You could use anything that your child likes--stickers, cotton balls, marbles, animals in a jar ect. Start small and build upon it. It takes time and patience and lots of celebrating when it happens.
- —Guest Lisa
being patient
- basically I tried every trick in the book and no success.sarah did not talk or potty train until she was eight years old. It was amazing, she started talking and basically just started going to the bathroom on her own. She has an older sister that she learned alot from.
- —sarahannsmom
1hour per day
- Keep your child in the bathroom,with only a long shirt on, for 1 hour a day. Have the child drink lots of fluid before you start. Have toys your child likes, or books... Whatever will engage child for 1 hour. If child starts to urinate during time, place on the toilet. Praise for going. Maybe give a meaningful toy, or reward. You could preteach the urinating with dolls and or pictures. Working on it just 1 hour a day, then keeping child in pullups or diapers keeps parent from wearing out with the process. After being toilet trained for urine my son went almost another year before training for stool. It was a privacy, issue and texture issues arose too. Good luck.
- —Guest B in MN
