Potty training question

Not necessarily. The "Spectrum" is quite wide (actually I think the diagnosis is sloppy.) It could be true that just having consistency will solve the problem---but for some of the other disorders or associated conditions the answer isn't that easy. I'm not sure that it's just "too hard" so much as the child may not have that much control or awareness of the control---and could have a gap in the part of the brain that would allow that control.

Sorry, but it makes me angry when people say things like that about potty training with our special kids. Yes, obviously my son is 6.5 and not fully potty trained because I'M NOT TRYING :grr: Sounds like my in-laws. I'm not blaming you, but that's like saying that when they get around other kids who are trained the peer pressure will motivate them. Whoever said that knows nothing about autism. If you work with kids with autism, I'd be very surprised if they are truly 100% potty trained by age 4 or 5. My son is a very high functioning child and at age 6 we're still working on it. However, he does not have accidents at school; he saves that for his parents :evilgrin: I sometimes lurk on an autism web group a lot like a.com, and it's amazing how many parents say their teenagers are not 100% potty trained. In my son's case, he can do #1 just fine, but he's not able to hold it at night. And we struggle with #2 -- it's not clear to me exactly what the issue is, but I suspect that he has trouble feeling the urge because of his sensory issues and hypotonia. Basically, he can be fully potty trained for weeks at a time, but if any little thing interrupts his regularity we are back at square one and it can take weeks to get back on track. When it works, what works best is a schedule (i.e. make a time every day for sitting on the potty), rewards (daily, weekly, and monthly), praise, and miralax. Good luck,

The comment about the parents not being consistant was from the CW, not me. I do work with kids with autism in their homes, schools and out in the community. Most are potty trained fully. Most of my clients are not extremely severe though and that makes a difference I think. The child this post was about, is now on my "sorry, no" list, but not because of the potty issue, that I can deal with. The troubling issue is that she often doesn't sleep for days, which as a single, working parent, I can not accomodate. I am still talking with a few CWs and hoping that I do find my forever child with autism when my homestudy is done in May. They really are enjoyable kids.

I understood that comment wasn't from you. Sorry if I didn't make that clear before :grouphug: . Since you work with autistic kids I figured you already knew there was probably more to the story. I'm sorry it didn't work out with the little girl. I hope she finds a good home soon. Sleep issues would be a big problem for me. I can deal with just about anything, but I need lots of sleep and get really wacked out it I don't get it. Since you see these kids in their natural environment and they are fully trained by 4-5, do you know how? We are looking for any answers we can find for my son who as I said above is very mildly on the spectrum but has a lot of anxiety. He tends to hold his poo and gets impacted. I felt like a real jerk giving him a suppository last night, and it didn't even work. Thanks, :flower:

yehudit, my 8 year old has the same problem with #2. he will go forever without going. I finally took him to a GI who kept telling me he was just constipated. I tried to explain to him no he just won't go. He put him on mirilax daily. Started with a clean out of 7 capfulls a day. It took 3 days before he went. He never (sorry to be gross) to the runny stage he was supposed to. He is now 1-2 capfulls everyday and still can with hold just not as well as he does without it. I am still checking on him to make sure he is really going and he is monitored in school as well. There is still another piece to this because of his with holding but I haven't figured out what it is yet.

They can definitely be potty trained at older ages. We potty trained a 10-yr-old boy with autism in 2 months. The key for him was taking him out of the pull-ups and letting him go in his big boy underwear, allowing him to feel the wetness or squishiness that he did not like. I did that with my other children, at much younger ages but with the same results. The group home had been waiting for him to potty train to take him out of pullups instead of the other way around. We also recently potty trained our 6-yr-old adoptive placement using the same method, and it took him only two weeks. Maybe I've just been lucky, but allowing them to get nice and wet (especially beneficial if it's a windy day) was all it took.

That could be a problem when it comes to finding a child with ASD. Sleep disturbance is part and parcel with Autism. BUT as a single working parent with a fs who is labelled autistic/pdd, its not really an issue. LG didn't sleep when he first came---so the "stay in your room until an adult calls you out" rule went into effect. He could chatter and sing to himself all night while I slept. At the time, I did put very movable obstacles near his door in case he did wander---the kind of things that would make noise if bumped but not be a fire hazard. I was fortunat, though. With consistency and as he has learned he is safe, he now sleeps all night.

Most of my clients have sleep issues so I am familiar with the autism related sleep issues. BUT I have never had a client who could go for days without any sleep. According to her CW, the doctors tried everything to help and they couldn't. I can do with little sleep, interrupted sleep, but not NO sleep. I am glad things worked out for your fs. a good nights sleep is so important, I think that's why some kids with autism struggle so much during the day (lack of good quality sleep).

We JUST started today trying to potty train Tucker.... oh my he is so clueless :) We shall see.

Good luck Tucker...And Athikers!!

He went on the potty today!!! First time! After two days of putting him on there every half and hour. Yipppeee!!!

Awesome! What a good start!

Had to update.... he's practically trained. He is out of diapers. He won't poop on the potty (sounds common!), but my daughter also did this and she seems to be getting over it. When he's not able to go on his own he will still wet because he doesn't TELL us... he either just goes by himself or he "potty dances" until we notice. But yesterday on a car ride he had an accident and didn't even say anything. So, in that regard, we have a ways to go yet. But if he has free access to the potty he has no problems. One diaper a day... at night :) WOOOO HOOOOO!!!!And.... his neuro-typical sister decided to finally train as well... and is completely trained it would seem. Merry Christmas to me :)