Please tell me this will happen - toilet training.

[Vagaceratops]

I want to cry.

DS is 5.4. I have been trying since Easter. He sits on the toilet but does nothing. In fact I think that he does nothing on purpose because sometimes he will get off and wee straight away. He has ASD and a speech delay. He has no understanding of reward systems.

I thought I would really push it over the holidays, as I say he sits on the toilet both at home and at school in term time.

Since Monday he has refused to get on the toilet, screaming and getting upset. If I can manage to bribe him to get on the toilet (with animal biscuits) he sits on for 2 seconds then starts protesting.

I know its going to be a long road, but please come and inspire me with stories of success.

I agree with zzzzz and think that "backing away" for a while might be best. He is getting stressed, you are getting stressed which is not going to help.

And Vaga - if you can bribe him then he does have some concept of rewards; so can you build on that?

we had to use a similar method with DD when she had toiletting regression

total lock down for a day before we started, no outside 'influences' hardly even TV, just radio and craft activities

then i sat down and explained that i was going to set a timer (i use alarm clock), and that was to signal when it was time for her to go to the bathroom, to try to use the toilet

i set the clock for varing times, anything from a half hour to 5 mins, hoping to catch at least one - and it worked for us!

she still regresses when stressed, but i've found a change of language ie asking her 'is it TIME for you to go to the toilet' if she's wriggling, rather than 'do you NEED to go to the toilet' (along with a social story about using public toilets, but that's a whole other thread ) really helps too

Agree with the others. It just may be that his rewards have to be immediate and very attractive. Maybe 'naughty' sweets like haribo etc? My DS got weeing very quickly and fairly age appropriately but pooing... a long, hard battle still not quite won. So you are not alone. X