Dyspraxic DD bed wetting

[Mrstaytos]

DD is 15 and has dyspraxia. She has wet the bed on and off for years but it’s getting much less frequent.

However she tends to leave the bedclothes on which is pretty manky and I only usually see it because I check.

She showers daily and is into sprays / make up etc but her intimate hygiene is poor. I’ve raised it several times and am wondering if dyspraxia makes all
this worse or if she is just plain
old lazy and filthy?

You might be better asking on the SN Teens board @Mrstaytos

She probably hates that it is happening. Please don't use words about her like lazy and filthy.

What support have you had from the GP?

i agree seek support on the SN boards.

Dyspraxia often co-occurs with other things like ADHD and Autism. I’m not sure about dyspraxia, but I know that people with ADHD/autism can need reminding to shower.

Dyspraxia can affect executive functioning so it definitely could be related. I was a bedwetter at her age and have adhd and it was hard to manage the sheets as if I didn’t strip the bed straight away then the sheets became out of sight out of mind for me, I’d get out of bed and shower and then have forgotten all about the sheets by the time I went back in my room post-shower. My parents left me to it and so often I would go to bed on an evening to be met by old wet sheets, it was horrible and upsetting and frustrating for me but I really struggled to get into a routine where I reliably dealt with the bed before I forgot about it. I still struggle with this now in terms of things like taking wet washing out of the machine where I just forget about it completely. The only thing that really helped me was discovering drynites and not having to worry about sheets as frequently but they might not be such a good solution if she only wets occasionally.

It might also be that you have always stripped the bed for her she might just be used to this and isn’t considering that you won’t know she’s wet unless she tells you and also isn’t considering that she could take responsibility herself. Have you explicitly spoken to her about it and told her she needs to strip the bed herself and is there a clear routine for her to follow? Have you been clear on whether you expect her to wash the sheets herself or strip the bed but leave them in a wash basket for you to do? Is she open enough to talk about it to tell you if sheets need washing or is it too embarrassing for her? It could be she’s ignoring the problem because she doesn’t really want to face up to it, I think that was a bit the case with me it is certainly not a comfortable feeling to still be dealing with bedwetting in your teens.