Potty training, an important milestone in a child's life, often proves difficult for children and parents. The difficulty increases when the child has a mental challenge, such as mental retardation or Down syndrome. Successful potty training relies on the readiness of the child and parents, as well as proper techniques.
Readiness
Because of your child's mental disability, she may begin potty training at a later age than other children. If your child has Down syndrome or other mental challenges, the National Down Syndrome Society recommends waiting to begin potty training until after your child's third birthday. However, your child's behavior, motor skills and instructional readiness also contribute to her readiness. Signs of readiness include the ability to walk to the bathroom, pick up objects, sit on a potty chair for two to five minutes and follow simple instructions. A child ready for potty training also has a predictable bowel movement pattern and the ability to control her bladder, remaining dry for at least 1.5 hours. If your child shows signs of urination or bowel movements through facial expressions, gestures or words, her likelihood of successful potty training increases.
Potty Training Preparation
According to the Down Syndrome: Health Issues website, to determine an accurate toileting schedule to use during potty training, you must track your child's urination and bowel movement patterns for two to three days. During tracking, check your child's diaper for dryness every 20 minutes. You may determine dryness by physically checking for moisture or finding diapers with a color-changing strip. Record the results of your dryness checks, as well as the time of day when your child has a bowel movement. Average the number of times your child urinates by dividing his number of waking minutes per day by the number of times he urinated. You now have an effective toileting schedule for use during potty training. Generally, you should take your child to the bathroom twice as often as the schedule indicates. For example, if your child's average data indicates that he urinates every hour, he should be taken to the bathroom every half hour.
Method
When potty training, you should use proper terms to cue your child. Using a small toilet seat on the normal toilet, place your child on the toilet and stay with her. She should stay on the toilet for no longer than five or ten minutes. If your child shows signs of distress through crying or temper tantrums, stop the process and try again in a few weeks. Do not get upset with your child for failing to urinate or defecate in the toilet or punish her for accidents. Rather, use positive reinforcement by praising and rewarding her for successful attempts while ignoring unsuccessful attempts. Every time after she sits on the toilet, regardless of success, assist her in washing her hands. If you follow the schedule you developed and maintain a regular feeding schedule to ensure regular bathroom habits, your child will eventually catch on.
Tips
To avoid accidents, the National Association for Retarded Children recommends avoiding giving your child liquids after dinner hours. Also, maintain a predictable schedule of placing your child on the toilet. He should be placed on the toilet when he wakes up, before eating, mid-morning, mid-afternoon, at bedtime and when parents go to bed, if possible. When potty training for bowel movements, you should place your child on the toilet a few minutes before his regular bowel movements, as noted in your pre-training tracking. If he has already defecated when you take him to the toilet, bring him a bit earlier the next day. Repeat this until you get him to the toilet before he has defecated. Do not use enemas or other medications to provoke bowel movements without consulting your doctor.
If you notice your child showing signs of urination or a bowel movement, do not rush him to the bathroom as if in an emergency. According to the National Association for Retarded Children, rushing your child may frighten him and make him associate using the toilet with the frightening experience. Similarly, do not flush the toilet with him on it. Doing so may also frighten him.
Warning
Do not force potty training. Some children show readiness before others, and some who show readiness may not actually be ready. According to the National Association for Retarded Children, forcing a child may cause her to develop chronic constipation, have frequent bowel movement accidents, become stubborn and defiant and have temper tantrums. It may also cause a pattern of reverting to incontinence when frustrated at a later age. Avoid these negative behaviors by potty training in a relaxed manner. If your child will not cooperate with potty training, discontinue the training until he shows comfort with it.
