toilet training for possibly ASD 3.5 yr old boy

[clairey33]

Hi, does anyone have any ideas on this one? My ds is 3.5 and still not toilet trained, very stubborn and doesn't seem to have much idea that he is about to go. He has autistic features but no dx yet, is currently being assessed and getting extra help at nursery. I am fed up with changing nappies! (have a 1 yr old dd too). Have tried to interest him in the toilet but he has just got obsessed with looking down it and thinking about the sewers where the poo goes!!!!

My ds2 is about the same age and autistic. I'm hoping to try toilet-training again during the summer holidays (after several failed attempts!). I'm thinking about using picture symbols to show him what to do as he learns well from visual things.

With my ds1 (also autistic) I used a Social Story but as he was a bit older then (just after his 4th birthday) I don't know if that would be too much for ds2 to understand.

Ds1 responded well to stickers everytime he sat on the toilet/potty-chair. Would something similar work for your ds?

HI don't have any bright ideas I'm afraid but will be watching this with interest, ds2 3.4 is poss asd but also has mild cp, he doesn't seem to have any idea he wants to go, but hates his nappy!
Also is scared of the loo & the potty infact doesn't like holes or circles so on the look out for a square potty!!
Good luck

well i guess i have a fair bit of experience of toilet training kids with autism, my three are all very different so we used different approaches for each of them, my twin girls autism & learning disabilities, we put pant on under there nappies for a while to get them used to feeling wet, then used bribery to get them to sit on the toilet it took ages for them to ever do anything on the loo, i guess they were programmed to only wee in nappies, we had special box with small toys/books in that they were only allowed to play with whilst sitting on the loo, as soon as they got off loo toy was removed, they soon got the idea, then we just had to get a result so we could give a reward we went on from there, it took about three weeks.
DS autism, he was mad on thomas the tank engine, we have a portable video player, we would tell him to sit on toilet and we would press play, it worked very well with him and he was fine within a week, for my 3 it was finding a motivater and lots of time spent in the loo, good luck!

thanks all of you! stapo1 I totally get you about holes and circles, my ds DOES like them but too much! isn't it so random. will try with visual prompts/stickers and thomas pants! will post anything useful learned... dreading it!

We've had some good threads on this in the past, one not too long ago. I am too lazy to post my ideas again, have you tried the Archive or put the section into Alpha and checked "T"? Sorry, Dr Who starting.....

What are the indicators of autism?

My son has started pretending to be a dog and a monster which is fine but he will approach other children and do this in their faces and takes no notice if he gets a poor reception. He says he's only playing. I've tried to reason with him and say imagine if some little boy did that to your sister - what would you do? He said he would tell them off for frightening her!! He knows it is silly but thinks it's acceptable anyway.

Hiya, my ds is the same age and responds to pecs - he has used the potty a couple of times and is very interested in the contents - he has a thing about smells. I get a lot of support from his Playgroup and they seem to have got things moving.