Toilet training is difficult enough with any child, but it is especially hard if your child has autism. If you have a child with autism, it is important to understand that that your child may find it challenging to learn the routine and regularity of using the toilet because of the attributes of autism. Autistic personality traits conflict with the aspects of toilet training, which makes the challenges normally involved with learning to use the toilet far greater.
Routine
Having a regular routines is extremely important to autistic children. According to Autism Today, an autistic child will usually resist any changes in his routine as the changes force him out of his comfort zone. Going from using a diaper to the toilet is a major change. It is not uncommon for children with autism to wear diapers past the age of 3 before starting to potty train because of the amount of time that is needed to gradually make a place for the new routine in their lives. Creating a visual schedule that shows all of the steps that are required in potty training can help ease the child into the transition.
Motivation
For non-autistic children, potty training is extremely rewarding. They get a sense of pride when they move on to big kid underwear or panties and appreciate the approval that they receive from their parents when using the toilet. For autistic children, their thought process usually does not allow for ideas regarding rewards or motivation. A child with autism will not particularly care about receiving the approval of her parents or what type of underwear she is wearing.
The TEACCH Autism program (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped CHildren) says that this stems from the child not being able to enjoy reciprocal social relationships. The parents of autistic children have to find other ways of motivation, such as giving her additional time doing something she enjoys.
Sensory Overload
No matter where in the bathroom you look, there is sensory stimulation. An autistic child may find the toilet to be either fascinating or frightening. Some of the things that the child will be aware of include the noise the toilet makes when it flushes, the water located inside the toilet and the toilet seat. Additionally, going to the bathroom requires removing clothing, causing the child to have to adjust from the familiar feeling of having his clothes on to taking them off. While trying to toilet train, these experiences may distract or scare the autistic child. Even when using the toilet successfully, the child may be interested in the feces and may act upon the interest by feeling it or smearing it around. He also may not like the feeling of the toilet paper and find it difficult to clean up. A parent must exercise a lot of patience and guidance when easing into the potty-training experience.
Body Cues
It may not be possible for a child who has autism to make the correlation between his bodily sensations and the functions that they represent. According to JeanShaw.com, this means that he may find it difficult to connect the need to go to the bathroom with the actual act of going to the bathroom. Because of that, he may have frequent accidents while training to use the toilet. Even after successfully completing potty training, your child may still have accidents if he becomes engaged in other activities or fails to pay attention to the cues his body is sending. When your child has an accident, it is important to show patience. In an effort to prevent accidents from happening, start a regular routine for toilet use.
Problem Solving
If you experience challenges when trying to potty train, each problem needs to be solved on an individual basis. If your child is having problems with the actual routine or the steps involved, placing a poster in the bathroom that reminds her of the steps would be beneficial. Using tissue or baby wipes may help if your child is not comfortable with using regular toilet paper. If your child wants to play while in the bathroom, provide constant monitoring to keep her on track. For a child having difficulty aiming, place a small target inside the toilet. Use items like a piece of cereal.
