Wetting and pooing himself on purpose ....

[nappyaddict]

DS is 6 in June. He has ASD and MLD. He goes to a MLD school but is quite high functioning I would say.

He didn't start potty training until the week he turned 4 and it's always been a bit haphazard with him still having the odd accident here and there.

However this last week he's been doing it in his pants but I know this time it wasn't an accident. The first time he said it was because he was playing on mummy's phone, the second time he said it was because he was playing with his trains, the third time because he was playing with his house and so on.

Also he smeared poo all over the bathroom tiles this morning, despite not having done it for ages.

So how do I deal with this? Should I punish him? Take the toys away that he was playing with when he couldn't be bothered to go to the toilet?

bump

Ds has a similar problem, he is ASD and 8 years old, quite HF too.

Wasnt out of nappies until late for poo, wouldnt poo unless he had a nappy on.

He now doesnt poo in school, but does it at home, although he never fully poos himself, seems to just start before he then uses the toilet.

He seems to have limited sensation around going and once told me he doesnt realise he needs to go until it starts 'to pop out', but this doesnt explain the being able not to do it at school now!

He does not poo in the toilet in school either, he has never used the toilet to poo in school. I think holding onto it all day, then makes it harder for him to hold onto it at home, hence only happens at home.

I also wonder whether there is a degree of sensory seeking behaviour going on ie the sensation of holding onto it too.

Maybe sensory seeking for your ds too, holding onto it until he can no longer do so and smearing?

What about weeing do you have any issues with that?

DD is HF, no dx as yet and only 4.10yrs but she regresses on a regular basis. not with pooing (she holds but always manages to get to a toilet for that)

she has a problem with transitions (has to finish what ever she's doing or fears they will disappear if she's not there) so leaves it as long as possible then gets really anxious she's not going to make it which then causes her to panic and then she wets herself..

not got any advice but marking my place in case anyone has a magic answer

IA

He said a similar thing about weeing, not knowing he needs to go until he dribbles. But again never fully wets himself, just dribble in his pj's which he then changes and says that the water splashed him when he was washing his hands (although he doesnt wash his hands, unless told!) so an excuse, maybe similar to your ds's 'excuses'. I know that ds is highly embarassed by it and doesnt fully understand why he does it hence the excuses.

Sorry I havent really found a solution to it, other than ds now 'deals' with it. We have a full length mirror in the bathroom as being able to 'see' what and where he is wiping is a big issue for him and flushable wet wipes, so ds now cleans himself up.

That's interesting UnChartered ... I hadn't thought of that.

Is it the whole toy she fears will disappear or that the toy will somehow continue playing without when she's not there?

claw DP has been telling him that big boys don't wet theirselves and he will have to start wearing nappies again (not something I approved of I may add ) so maybe that has made him more self-conscious and embarassed by it hence the "excuses" only starting recently.

i think she thinks things will carry on without her being there, she panics over missing TV/dvds and definitely thinks she's going to miss a vital part of a 'lesson' in school

she wets a lot in school

Nappy, probably, i know that ds makes up excuses even to me and very much wants to be considered a 'big boy', which makes me think i dont think he would do it, if he could help it.

I dont have any experience of poo smearing, but as i said above ds cannot and will not wipe his bottom or attempt to clean himself up unless he can see what he is doing. Could it have been an attempt to wipe his bottom or clean himself up, without having to ask for help?