Poo issues/autism

[henryhsmum]

My DS is 4.5, has autism and has issues with poos. He is dry during the day and has been for the last year. But he still poos in his pants or his nappy - not just accidents more that he habitually uses his pants/nappy for poos. We try putting him on the toilet after meals etc but he gets very resistant and starts saying no I don't need to push. Quite often, he will then go about 5 to 10 mins after coming off the toilet. At the moment he seems to be pooing after being in bed for about 20 mins or very early in the morning, about 6am to 6.30am generally. I just don't knwo what to do to get him to use the toilet for pooos. We have tried sitting him on there with a book/DVD and he will sometimes 'push' when asked to but he will onyl tolerate sitting on the toilet for 5 mins, 10 if we're lucky. I have also tried reading him a social story about pooing in the toilet ('Liam goes poo in the toilet') but he now shouts and says 'No, not Liam' if I try and read it. he tends to very quickly cotton on to any routine/bribery I use to get him on the toilet so techniques only tend to work for a week or so. I think he does know the signs he needs to do a poo as he recognises things like passing wind and becomes agitated for about 10 mins beforehand. But it is difficult to predict when he will go as he is not regular

I am sure this has something to do with the autism, I don't think it is so much a sensory issue, more a kind of ritual/habit that he has. I think there is also an element of him wanting to be babied as he hates it if his stepddad goes to change him - he insists mummy must do it so I think he does it deliberately sometimes to get my attention (e.g. as an excuse to wake me up)

Does anyone have any ideas how to get round this?

You could be describing my DS here, so watching with interest

DS1 has been like this, and got to the point of withholding then constant soiling, I think and fervently hope we are through the worst of that now.

He often poos in his night time nappy, soils frequently, but is now volunteering to use the toilet - he's been out of day time nappies for 11 months, so it's taken a good long time! He is just 5. v

I have heard a theory about children seeing their poo as part of themselves and worrying about it going down the toilet. If that's what it's about would it be worth asking himt o poo in a potty and then allowing him to decide when to put it in the toilet and flush it away. Not the pleasantest way to deal with it but better than cleaning up soiled pants.

I haven't tried him on a potty as he never used one, went straight to using the toliet, for wees at least!

He wants to flush it away as soon as he sees it - I think part of the issue might be that with weeing he can see what he is doing but with pooing he can't.

BigWeeHag, how did you get your DS to use the toilet did he just suddenly start doing it of his own accord?

I'm finding with his autism that there are certain things that do improve but there are others where he seems to establish a ritual that is very hard to break. I think it might be fear of getting it wrong. He is like it with drawing too, he is still just scribbling and if I give him the crayon he refuses and asks me to draw for him. I wonder if its a lack of confidence thing with that and the toilet