Reducing Bathroom Battles When Potty Training Your ASD Child

Potty training a normal, healthy child can propel any parent into a state of anxiety, overwhelm and exhaustion. Now let's consider what potty training is like for a parent when their child is on the Autism spectrum? A child with Autism may have sensory issues that get in the way or they may not even understand what it means to use the potty.

Here are some things to consider when potty training a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to reduce the number of bathroom battles you encounter.

• Determine if your child is ready to be potty trained. Just because all the books say readiness occurs between the ages of 18 months to 4 years for a neuro-typical child it does not mean your child with Autism has the ability to do so. A developmental delay can carry over into many areas and postpone readiness. Does your child know when he is wet or has a dirty diaper? Does your daughter have a dry diaper all night?

• Find out what your child's elimination schedule is. It does not take long to do this. Keep notes on when your child's diaper is soiled or wet? Notice the time it takes your child to eliminate after he eats or drinks. Keeping a journal for three to five days will determine a pattern. Then you will know the times to focus on potty training the most.

• Do not punish the child for accidents. If your child has an accident remind them that is what the potty is for. Calmly clean up the mess with your child's assistance, even if on a limited basis. Make sure everyone caring for your child uses the same approach as well. Mixed messages will not help.

• Does your child have the skills to undress and redress? If not this can make potty training more challenging unless you have the luxury to let your child run around naked for the next month or two. You will also need to make time for wiping up puddles and scrubbing carpets and upholstery.

• Do not give up - remain consistent. If your child does not catch on right away do not give up. It takes a few weeks for a new skill to be learned. If you keep switching from diapers to the potty this will just confuse your child even more. Consistency is the key factor when potty training. This goes for any child not just children with Autism.

• Make the potty and your bathroom user friendly. Eliminating any source of stress or anxiety will help your child relax about potty training. Let your child see the potty and get familiar with it before they are made to sit there. Consider writing a social story about the potty chair and what it is used for. This will help them become comfortable with the idea.

Remember children with Autism are more likely to take longer to learn a new skill so be patient and stay relaxed. If your child senses tension you may be in for more battles than you bargain for. To increase you chances for potty training success you want to make sure you eliminate as much of your child's anxiety as possible.

Connie Hammer, MSW, parent educator, consultant and coach, guides parents of young children recently diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder to uncover abilities and change possibilities. Visit her website http://www.parentcoachingforautism.com to get your FREE resources - a parenting e-course, Parenting a Child with Autism - 3 Secrets to Thrive and a weekly parenting tip newsletter, The Spectrum.

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Potty Training Autistic Children Tips For Parents

This type of training is given to children with special needs if it's hard to identify their patterns in toileting. In essence, this just means establishing a toilet routine or time for your kid, or setting up a pattern of times when you think it's fitting for your kid to use the bathroom. To encourage the child to improve, you just need to give him plenty of positive reinforcement.

Before getting started, it's important for you to understand that habit training is based on elimination schedule. First, focus on getting your child to urinate in the toilet. Don't worry too much if you are unable to get him to the toilet for bowel movement. That will come eventually.

In this technique, you should be patient enough to take your child to the bathroom frequently, in 30 minute intervals. Allow your child to sit on the toilet for around 2-3 minutes. If your kid goes, shower him with praise, even if it's only done by coincidence. If it's unfruitful, just calmly lead the child out of the bathroom with minimal reaction.

Remember that the first step in this training is to teach your child to go to the toilet with proper timing. In addition, you are orienting him with the difference between wet and dry pants, and toilet awareness. Don't lose heart if it takes some time for your child to master the steps.

How can you best help your kid to give signals if he wants to go to the toilet? If you notice that your child is having a hard time initiating the process himself, give him subtle cues such as:

Add sign language to your repertoire. You may have him wave the letter "T" as a sign for toilet. Give him a "toilet cue." He can use any item such as a sticker, or a toy to let you know that it's time to go.

What if your child still refuses to urinate in the toilet? A lot of children with autism have challenges understanding what they are being asked to do. By far, the best technique that you can use to overcome this is the "show me" method.

Try to add some food coloring in the water. It may help illustrate the process. Urine added to the colored water will definitely grab their attention. Try to put some specially made animal shaped toilet floats, or something colorful like cheerios cereal to make it a fun experience. Have him aim for it for fun!

Now you are armed with the information for potty training autistic children.

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Autism and Potty Training Tips - Getting Through this Difficult Time

Potty training toddlers can be hard work. But for any child, autistic or not, this is a very important step in the developmental process, and one that should not be delayed. Autism potty training, however, may bring about a little dread in parents that are about to undergo the process. This article will briefly cover some of the ways you can help ease this process, and what you should expect.

First, it is important that you understand that some fundamental and universal techniques for potty training children are simply not applicable to children with autism. Or, more accurately, these rules are not applicable in their original form - not without some tweaking, anyway. It is also important to understand that this process will not be easy, no matter the level of learning ability of your child. The process is not easy for any child. You will need to bring patience and determination to the table in order to be successful.

Before you start the potty training process, it is important to remember that children with autism to not tend to react to positive reinforcements and stimuli in the same fashion as other children do. Because of this, you should probably avoid offering your child rewards or prizes based on their behavior, as their reaction will likely vary from instance to instance and cannot be counted upon.

It is also important to fully communicate the importance of using a toilet to your child, as they may simply not understand the reasoning behind such an act. An effective way to accomplish this is with visual aides, rather than spoken commands. Showing your child simple illustrations of the entire process of using the bathroom can help them understand the process better. These can be simple illustrations or symbolic representations.

Another hurdle to overcome when potty training autistic children is that they often times cannot sense when they need to go to the bathroom. To overcome this, a good idea may be to establish a strict routine. Using a clock or timer, teach your child how to use the bathroom at the same times each day. As children with autism naturally move toward routine, this should not be too hard.

Lastly, it is important to understand that children with autism do not accept change into their lives easily. Because of this, it is important to stay patient and understanding during the potty training process. While any child can have difficulty learning to be potty trained, with autistic children, the process can be especially daunting. This doesn't mean that it is impossible, however. If you accept the challenges ahead of you, and maintain that you will overcome them to achieve positive results right from the very start, then you will ultimately be successful.

Autism potty training does not have to make you feel a sense of dread. With some hard work and patience, this task can be effectively accomplished. Although be prepared for it to take longer and probably start later than for children without autism.

By Rachel Evans. Sign up for a free newsletter for more information on autism. In the newsletter you'll discover vital information on other parenting challenges similar to autism potty training.

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