Potty training child with Autism?

My son is now 4 years old and was diagnosed with Autism along with developmental delays, sensory processing disorder and all the rest that goes with Autism. My question is, he is trained to pee in the potty and stays dry all night but he will not poop in the toilet. I have purchased 3 differnt potty's,blew up balloons offered stickers etc. He will sit on the potty for me to change and wipe him and to go thru the routine with the PEC's chart I made but no (go) in the potty, he cry's and say's no and will withold if I persist. I have quit asking because I think he will go in his own time. Do Autistic children ever potty train? I have heard it's hard. New to Diagnose's, unsure how to do this? and Pre-school teachers new to Autism, Live in a rural area with population of 3,700.

Hi blessedmom.

Toilet training is a big issue for every parent, even those with children who have no additional issues. That makes it all the more so for parents of children with special needs. Children with autism definitely can potty train, but it can be a bit of a rocky road.

Because it involves different types of readiness -- both psychological and physical -- it's a good idea to check in with the various members of your treatment team to try to assess when and how to proceed with training, or to expand it if "peeing" is already taken care of but "pooping" is not. Consulting with your pediatrician, therapists who are familiar with your child's abilities, personality, and development, and any other professionals you are working with who might have some insight should be helpful. You are already instituting some behavioral techniques -- stickers, etc. -- but it might be a good time to consult with an expert about specific steps to take, and to help unravel what is behind the resistance so you can take that into consideration when making a plan.

Thank you Connie for your reply. I have contacted his peditrican and his Neuro Doctor. They advised me that it is hard for some children with Autism to make that Mind-body connection. They have to be able to know what is going on and understand it. They told me to wait for awhile and try again later. I don't really get the big deal. Everyone does things in their own time and I have all the confidence that if my son get's it, he get's it, if not I don't mind to change him. That's why he is special, and loved because he needs it.

Blessedmom, I'm so glad you were able to get some feedback from the physicians. You are right, as they are: "readiness" is the first thing to consider. If they're just not there yet, all the techniques in the world aren't going to be very helpful. They'll get there in time, and then the techniques will come in handy.

My son is 9 years old and has PDD-NOS. He refused to have anything to do with the potty until he was almost 3 years old. I bought him some underwear with Scooby Doo (was his favorite for many years) on them and told him he could wear them if he'd use the potty. The next day he asked for the underwear, and I told him what would happen if he went to the bathroom in them (running down the legs, uncomfortable, etc.), and from that day forward 6 years we haven't had our first accident. Even with a stomach bug that included diarrhea, he would sit on the toilet for over an hour before he would take the chance of using the bathroom in his clothes. I guess with him the OCD/rigidity took over, but it certainly happened at the right time! I guess my point is that so many of these children are very different, you need to find what works for your and your child. Find something he loves and incorporate it. Just remember you are not alone and when the time is right it will happen.

Many blessings to you, Blessedmom.

My child is 6 1/2 and developed megacolon from withholding.

It's been a difficult road and I have to feed him softeners and laxatives (under the direction of his GI of course.)

I'm hoping that maybe, one day, he will be in regular underwear.

EnigmaMom I'm glad to hear it worked for you. We tried that, but didn't get the same results.

My son will be 9 in Dec. Pee was no problem...well it took a lot of work. We have tried everything. It's hard to change the pull-up on a child almost 9 years old. I am running out of options. I can't seem to find any help on this subject.

Connie, I've tried all of the sugestions you have mentioned. Stickers, etc. He has just started speaking this year. We are so grateful for that. #2 seems to be our biggest hurtle right now. Any suggestions?

Blessedmom, I understand your concern. I hope you are able to train him sooner than I have been.

Thank you to everyone that has replied to my question! A month has come and gone but he now is telling me in FULL sentence's that I went potty and need it off please. What a blessing, I'll take his sweet little voice speaking to me anyday over going in the potty. I think he is going to get it someday when he is ready and not me, and his teacher's can change that.

Blessedmom, that is wonderful about your son's full sentences!

I bet you're right as far as the training and that he'll be ready when he is ready.

Autism-Hope, I'm afraid I don't have any simple answers for you about your 9 year old's situation. As ever, part of the issue is figuring out where he's stuck in the process -- is it a sensory issue? A psychological readiness issue? A mostly behavioral issue?

One thing I wonder is if there may be someone in your area expert in dealing with toilet training in much older children. This might be out of the realm of experience of most pediatricians. It might be worthwhile to consult your pediatrician, psychiatrist, or other professionals working with your son to see if they know of someone who has a reputation for helping a family in a situation like this. Sometimes you need expert help!

My daughter is 3 and diagnosed with PDD-NOS. We also had trouble with potty training but I took a class based on ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) and it actually worked! It was very intense, but my daughter learned and rarely has an accident. Long story short....get your supplies ready, underwear, a variety of special reinforcers in a box (if food, make it small amounts)and when you decide it's time...don't give up. Before beginning the training track your child's pattern...what time does he/she pee and poop. Make a chart as this will come in handy to know when you need to put the child on the potty. The key is the child must wear underwear, not pullups so he/she feels how yucky it is to have an accident and also how nice it feels to have dry underwear (which of course you discuss). Do dry pat checks throughout the day and say how nice it feels to have dry underwear. Also you do "positive practice" when there is an accident. Bring child to site of accident and ask "what do you need?" They must answer "I need to go pee pee" Have them walk to potty and say it again. Then go through all the motions...pull down underwear, sit on real potty, pretend pee pee, pretend wipe, pretend flush, pretend wash & dry hands, walk back to site of accident (which they have cleaned). This is done 5 times. (Yes, exhausting, but it hammers it in). Feel free to contact me and I'll give you many more hints. It was quite intense, but it does work. If you can get in touch with someone who specializes in ABA, they should be able to guide you as I understand that language and other skills vary. Good luck!

The potty training is an issue with us as well. My son will use the bathroom all day at school however when he gets home he wants a pull up to have a bowel movement. He will not use the toilet for this and is 6 years old. The school said they would assist. Time will tell.

My son had trouble toilet training too. A GF/CF diet seemed to help him be more regular and made toilet training easier.

If you have time to do this potty schedule it can really help with toilet training. First find something your child loves more than anything (Oreos, game etc.)Isolate that so that he only gets it when they pee in the toilet. It is important to note that only to work on peeing first then move on to the BM with the same reinforcement schedule. Start off with a schedule of 5 min. on the toilet then 5 min off the toilet, once they do pee in the toilet reinforce them immediatley, make sure when they do go potty to make it a huge deal. After having a two days with no accidents move on to 5 min on 10 min off, do this schedule until they have again had two days with no accidents, keep moving up, to 20 min off, then 30, increasing by 10 minutes. Once you get them to a hour and half then you will already figure out when they need to go so you can always be prepared. You can also tie in a non-verbal or verbal request. Such as having a picture of a toilet that they can hand you every time they need to go, as a non-verbal request. Potty training is difficult to do, but this has worked for me, it take time. If you stick with a schedule and reinforce every success, using the isolated reinforcement you have picked and always have them take notice of them peeing in the toilet can really help. I hope this helps a little if you have anymore questions please let me know.