ASD and toilet training

[Eveiebaby]

Please does anyone have any advice how I can get DD 3.9 (ASD) to have a wee or poo on the toilet. She knows the routine, can pull her trousers and pants down, attempts to flush the loo can pull her clothes up and wash her hands. She can tell me AFTER she has done something in her pants. What she does not seem to be able to do is anything on the toilet she will just not wee or poo down the loo. She manages to stay dry at nursery most days for 3 hours so she must have some control - any ideas???

Hi there,

we routine trained DS - he was dry in a month after 18 months of trying conventional training. Take her to the loo every couple of hours at regular times - don't wait for her to ask you - as a big thing with autism is that children assume you know what they need without them telling you. I'd suggest building it into her routine, so she sits on potty or loo after breakfast, at snack time etc. For the first few days we used chocolate buttons as a reinforcer. Now DS just gets them if he takes himself or asks, as he has now started to say he needs a wee!

We got a really good books called 'Toilet Training for individuals with autism and other developmental needs' by Maria Wheeler and that was really helpful with the rouitne training.

You need to make sure the nursery follow it, too, i.e. taking her at regular times, rather than just asking her if she needs the loo.

I meant to say that make sure she has a big drink a while before her next wee break as she's more likely to go! You can get toilet signs from boardmaker or do2learn if you use visual symbols - we have the whole step by step thing on the wall by the loo. That helped a lot.