Potty train 3 year old with asd or wait till Summer?

[MaterofDragons]

Con - he's non verbal and is on the severe end of the spectrum so know it will be a huge headache.

Pro - he may be ready for it as he will hide away when doing a poo but will often wake up with a poo nappy and always with a wet one.

Would appreciate any advice from parents who have been there, done that!

[Coffeemachine]

does he sit on the toilet/potty at all? does he understand what it is for?

I would probably wait until he shows a clear interest and signs that he is ready (regardless of season - never got the waiting for the summer really).

I would just give it a go and put it on hold if he is really not ready and not persevere at that stage.
A lot of barely 3 year olds are still in nappies regardless of SN or not but I think with a non-verbal child with ASD you may be pushing it and it will only be a long struggle.

[MaterofDragons]

Yes I think you're right. I have sat him on a potty and he's hated it. He's done a couple of wees on the potty but I think they were more distress wees ifyswim.

I think the summer thing is because it will be easier for children to put out in the garden with pants/no pants and so not create a mess in the home? Either way I think I'll wait until then. Thank.

[LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett]

I think the no pants thing can be a red herring. My DS needed to wet himself, realise that was uncomfortable and something he didn't like, and realise that the clean up was a PITA in order for him to make the right connections. If I'd put him in the garden with no clothes he'd have loved it but it wouldn't have helped him toilet train.

[Cakescakescakes]

Wait till summer. We started at 2yrs 8momths because of family pressure but he wasn't ready. He was 4 before reliably dry during the day. Would have much less stressful all round if I'd just waited. (Also ASD and non verbal etc)

[MaterofDragons]

Great tips thank you! It makes sense to have him sit straight on the toilet with a special seat as he's quite a big boy and hates the potty. I will look into getting that and some steps too.

[ILoveTFIFriday]

Some of those insert seats for the toilet don't always fit nicely and can wobble about and move, making a child quite nervous.
We bought a toilet seat with an integral junior seat off Amazon for £20. It's been amazing, very solid. I imagine it'll last years.