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potty training with autism?

16 replies

itsbegginingtolook · 07/01/2016 21:11

Hi everybody i am looking for some help and tips but not sure if this is the right place to post. So my DS2 is 3.6 and is currently undergoing diagnosis of autism, obviously the spectrum is so big and what works for one child may not work for another child, but i am finding it hard to potty train him and wondered if you guys could give me some tips?. I've never posted on the sn boards before so not sure what sort of thing you need to know so please if you could give me some tips I'd be grateful and i will answer any questions along the way.
Thank you

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PolterGoose · 07/01/2016 21:23

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PolterGoose · 07/01/2016 21:23

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itsbegginingtolook · 07/01/2016 21:40

poltergoose thank you im still trying to find my feet everything is a new challenge compared to my first DS. Everything is a constant battle to get him help, hopefully we are going to get some funding for 1:1 at nursery soon so that should help because then we can keep things consistent, he really likes routine Smile. Ds2 is still mostly non verbal and doesn't really follow directions cant dress his self amongst a lot of other things. It feels good actually saying this to someone who will understand what i am going through. thank you Smile

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PolterGoose · 07/01/2016 22:12

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itsbegginingtolook · 08/01/2016 07:29

I think he's just starting to recognise so in no rush to start him was just looking for some tips to be ready. He has currently started going in a corner to poo and then trying to take his nappy off or even more gross sticking his hand down and showing us poo on his fingers. He's also started sitting on the potty of his own accord when having nappy free time and trying to wee so he gets a sticker, but doesn't always make it for proper wee's. So why he is currently showing some starter signs which he has never shown before I'm under no illusion he probably isn't totally ready to start. We've had his first mpact meeting just waiting for his asmpact meeting and another appointment with the community paediatrician. Everything just takes so long around here Sad.

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PolterGoose · 08/01/2016 07:33

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itsbegginingtolook · 08/01/2016 07:38

Yes that was my thinking too Grin. Was going to try over Christmas but he was up at hospital and poorly Sad. Also was a manic time with my older DS birthday. My husband works away a lot so it's mainly down to me and sometimes I feel abit down with it all he's such a beautiful happy boy but has now started hurting himself due to frustration Sad he started pre school in September and they have been fantastic with him Smile. The next think I've got to decide is weather I'm going to keep him back a year as he's ment to start school in September

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2boysnamedR · 08/01/2016 10:10

Cerebra, contact a family and the NAS all have leaflets on this. It's thought a good idea to forget a potty and go straight to the loo as its another transition.

I am currently training my ds who is 4 in March. He is using a potty. He likes to bring it and use next to where ever I am. He loves batman so I got a stash of batman stickers. To start off with he got them as a reward. He couldn't deal with the pants so for us it's been very spaced out. So weeks with no pants or trousers. Then introduced pants, got to introduce trousers yet and lastly trying to go out with no nappy.

I possibly could have gone cold turkey and just gone for it. Personally I wasn't ready and didn't want to get stressed.

That's the major thing. Always be happy, what ever they do.

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itsbegginingtolook · 08/01/2016 12:59

Yeh that sounds like similar to what I'm planning on trying and the steps I'm Guna take. We only have a upstairs toilet though and don't think he'll make it?

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2boysnamedR · 08/01/2016 13:48

I think if you take him at regular times like Polter did then he should eventually learn to hold it.

My son went five hours without a wee. You be surprised. Asd iron will power can have some bonuses

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BlackeyedShepherdsbringsheep · 08/01/2016 17:36

we used pull ups for ds as he had toddler diarrhoea and I did not want to be scraping it out of the carpet or sofa as pants would not have held it in.

we did a gradual approach, taught him about toilets first and he got to watch dd and I using the loo/potty. the potty was available, I think he was encouraged to use it when dd used it. he weed in the potty well before he pooed in the potty.

He just decided he would use the potty for pooing one day. that was it: trained.

he learned to wee standing up by copying boys at nursery.

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Shootingstar2289 · 08/01/2016 21:31

We managed to fully potty train our autistic son at around 3 years and 7 months. He kinda got it for a while but it was hard work as he never used to speak much therefore he couldn't tell us he needed to go.

For a while I would sit him down on the potty with an iPad until he went and cheered and praised him. It took him a while to understand what he was doing but once he did. I used to have 3 pottys around the house and keep his bottoms off and he learnt to go. He went round the house half naked for a couple months but never got the idea if he was fully dressed or outside the house. He even took a poo in the bridge to his wooden train track and in the garden 😣 but he did learn over time.

In the end. I just put him in pants and had the attitude 'if he peed he peed' and had loads of spare pants and clothes to hand. Surprisingly this did the trick. I would keep reminding him and asking if he needed to go.. He had had maybe three accidents since this time - over a year ago!!

He also had a toy bath which has a whole on the bottom and filled with water. And the duck went 'pee pee' when I squirted it..

Visual aids may be good for your son. My son never used them while toilet training but uses them now at school for other things!

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Shootingstar2289 · 08/01/2016 21:32

sorry, toy bath duck I meant to say.

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itsbegginingtolook · 13/01/2016 02:40

Thanks everybody for the great replies and help. Sorry I've took so long in replying we have been having issues at preschool Sad. He knows what to do when i sit him on the potty, he will actually force a wee out to get a sicker Grin and will take himself to the potty lol. The problem we have is he doesn't seem to understand the sensation of needing to go so will just wee randomly. will definitely give the duck idea a go as he absolutely loves bath ducks. Have a felling he will just see it as a game though.

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Lily86 · 13/01/2016 09:41

hi my boy has ASD he is nearly 5 years old he has been toilet trained for a year and a half now. I started off with the potty for a week or so and gave him lots of praise and made up a sticker chart with his favourite stickers ( fire exit signs lol) this really helps motivate him once he was doing most of his pee's in it i moved the potty to bathroom to give him the choice of using potty or toilet. i found that if i used nappies and pants throughout day this would confuse him so i evenually decided to just use pants this seemed to work with my little boy as he then relised he did not like the feeling of wetness in his pants so would go to toilet.it took about a year for him to be fully potty trained he would still have accidents i always made sure i carried a lot of spare clothes lol. hope this helps xxx

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Lily86 · 13/01/2016 09:49

i forgot to add it took us about a year to be fully trained as he was scared of doing a number 2 in the potty/toilet and would often do it in pants but with the pees it took about 3 months. my son is also non verbal has a few words so i have to watch for clues that he is needing he often dances about when needs to go if we out if we in house he just goes up to toilet himself x

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