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| ICAN Home > Modules > Behavioral Interventions | ||||||
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Toilet Training: Introduction Tony is an active 3- year- old with an autism spectrum disorder who wears diapers. When he is wet or has soiled his diaper, he gets a dry diaper and brings it to his parents or teacher. When his mother or teacher have attempted to take him to the bathroom and have him sit on a potty chair, he screams and strongly resists any attempts to sit. His parents had no problem toilet training an older sibling and are puzzled by Tony’s resistance. Emma is a 6-year-old diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome who attends first grade in her neighborhood school. She has a paraprofessional who provides support throughout the day. Emma will wear underwear, but has resisted using the toilet to urinate or have a bowel movement. Instead, she requests or gest a diaper on her own, then wets in the diaper. She can go for long periods of time without having to go to the bathroom. Even when it is pointed out to her that her friends wear underwear and use the toilet, Emma does not alter her toileting patterns. Lorenzo is 5 years old, is non-verbal and has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. He is one of eight children in his family. Lorenzo’s mother sought help from his special education teacher because Lorenzo had started to smear feces on the walls at home. His siblings were grossed out by the behavior, but even more upset because they felt they could not have their friends over when Lorenzo was around. As a parent or educator, you probably have your own examples of puzzling toileting behaviors. Why is toilet training so difficult for so many individuals with autism spectrum disorders? What is the process for toilet training an individual with autism spectrum disorders? Is there a “best” method? Toilet training is an issue that many parents of “typical children” also experience difficulty with. By comparison, consider the frustrations and confusion experienced by families and caretakers of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Society is accepting of babies and toddlers who are not toilet trained, but as children begin to grow, it is expected they will learn to use the toilet and abandon diapers. As children grow, the social importance of using a bathroom successfully and independently is emphasized and more pressure is put on parents to successfully toilet train their child. This module will identify the difficulties parents, teachers and caregivers encounter when attempting to toilet train individuals with autism spectrum disorder and address the need for utilizing different strategies. It will help parents and teachers better understand the reasons for difficulty with toileting and look at it from the perspective of an individual with ASD. It will include specific ideas and techniques that parents and professionals can incorporate. Toilet training is a major undertaking for already overwhelmed families, so having a plan and supports in place is essential to better ensure success. Lecture Content |
Martin is 4 years old and has an autism spectrum disorder. He is
verbal and attends preschool in his school district’s early childhood
special education program. He wears a pull-up diaper, and follows a
bathroom routine of going into the bathroom, pulling down his pants,
sitting on the toilet, and then standing and pulling his pants up. He
responds correctly when asked, “Are you wet or are you dry?”
However, he has never actually urinated in the toilet.