SORRY!! But how do you teach your child to wipe their bum??

[tryingtobemarypoppins2]

I need a guide someone!!

Poor you and ds2. It's what I've always been scared of, even though ds1 isn't even quite 7, yet! It just seems like such a lot to teach them in such a short space of time.

We've also been working a lot in the bath on ds1 using the soap effectively to wash armpits, etc. And sometimes, I get him to try rubbing shampoo in his hair a little bit, and trying to rinse some of it off when he lies back in the bath - just so that he gets used to the idea that I won't always do this for him. He used to think any effort to get him to do anything for himself at all was a sign I was planning to run away and leave him all on his own forever, but he now seems to understand that I am planning to be there for him always, despite my desire to get him to learn to do things for himself! He's quite a good toothbrusher, now, too (he does morning brush, I do pm brush). And can help himself to breakfast cereal and pour his own milk. None of it achieved particularly easily, but all of it now more or less accepted! And with each little achievement, his willingness to try something new increases, so we are making much faster progress these days than we used to, and he is building on previously acquired skills. It's just the knowing what to try to get your child to try and when, when his natural desire is to be looked after for the rest of his life, so absolutely no pushing on his part to learn any self-help skills.

Keep working with your ds2 - you are obviously doing the right thing at a speed he can cope with.

OK. I'm not sure if this is too far off topic or not. But I live in the US, in the state of Washington. I am 31 years old. My original diagnosis was Aspergers, but then they changed it to PDD, and then they fixed every disagreement when the DSM-5 came out. It's called Autistic Disorder now, so we know I have autisim in some high functioning manor, but we don't really know which kind.

I am frustrated. I've still lived on my own just under 10 years. I want badly to get a full time job. This is unlike anybody who I know who otherwise has a similar disability to me. But I'm trying to fix all the problems at home causing me not to be able to work. 2 that stick out, are being able to correctly complete a daily routine, and wiping myself.

It is the wiping myself I wish to talk about here. I used to have many other troubles, like wiping the counters and washing dishes, but I seem to have mostly fixed it by "obsessing" on it. But I'm really stuck on wiping my butt. I don't want to spend EVERY waking moment on trying to do this, for 3 weeks, but I would if I had to. I'd take days off from my part time job and do that if I had to.

I can do it with paper towels (which I put in the garbage, not flush), but I can't do it with wet wipes or toilet paper! The thinner it is, the harder it is for me. I constantly try to avoid going #2 as long as I can, and end up having lots of accidents which doesn't help me because it's so unpleasant.

I would say I definitely have a sensory issue about getting poop on me, and probably anybody with near as sensitive nose as me, would have trouble breathing while doing it. I just avoid getting too close so I don't throw up.

Anyway, it's very frustrating that I can't seem to just "obsess" this problem away like I have been able to do with other problems so far. I don't want to try to have somebody with me 24 hours a day making rules for me, just over this issue, and I doubt they would ever let me get this service either. I have been able to prove I needed a caregiver for now anyway, becuause of my routines not working which causes all kinds of issues. But I have gone over it and over it with them. They don't seem to have any answers on how to improve. I did as much as I could with my counselor, but she has even less power over assisting with the issue. Can anyone give me advice? Writing can help too. My brain is better than what I can get my hands to do sometimes. Maybe some brainwork will help me "obsess" this problem away finally... Thanks in advance.

By the way, in other respects, I'm getting more and more like a normal person for my age. I've been able to finally conquer most social aspects in the same way. I can do lots of work for jobs, so that's not an issue.

I can only afford to do laundry once a week, pretty much no matter what. I have had to throw some pants away before, because I also couldn't clean them when they got too dirty, though I'm working on better cleaning techniques in those situations.

My Mom had to help buy me more clothes when my clothes got low, because I couldn't afford clothes. Pants here can cost over $50 one pair here. I'm in a rurual area and can't travel to where they are cheaper.