How to Potty Train a Child With Autism
Potty training can be a challenge at the best of times, but if your child has autism and is hypersensitive to outside stimuli, it can be especially taxing. It really helps to know what has worked for other parents dealing with the same issues. Read on to learn how to potty train a child with autism.
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Instructions
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Create Bathroom Language
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Ask your occupational therapist which cues you and your child can use to communicate when the child needs to use the bathroom. Since the traditional eye and verbal cues of non-autistic children may not work for you and your child, it may help to have alternatives, such as humming a certain sound.
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Set aside a time that you can dedicate solely to toilet training your child. Both you and your child are going to have to give and communicate a little in order for him to accept the potty training concept.
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Reinforce positive behavior with words of encouragement or a hug.
Choose Foods That Assist Elimination
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Feed your child foods that will assist in elimination, such as fruits, whole grains and liquids. Autistic children are prone to hard, painful stools, and this can cause a problem when you want them to look forward to using the toilet. The right food can help.
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Confirm your food choices with the child's doctor.
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Keep your refrigerator and pantry stocked with the recommended items.
Relieve the Pressure You Put on Yourself and Your Child
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Forget about the potty training times of other children. For some kids, potty training will happen in less than one week. For others, it can take a year or more.
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Take your child's elimination routine into consideration. If you try to make her use the toilet when she doesn't typically need to eliminate, you are setting yourself up for trouble. However, if you know that 1 hour after breakfast she usually needs her diaper changed, you have discovered a window of opportunity.
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Try to avoid using force and frustration when encouraging an autistic child to use the toilet, as this can delay potty training even longer.
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Tips & Warnings
You are going to need patience to potty train an autistic child. Since your child will already have her own routine that makes life understandable and bearable for her, introducing a new and complex task into that routine probably won't be easy. However, once using the toilet does become part of her routine, it should become a habit with only rare relapses.
Never force potty training. Train your autistic child to potty train at his own pace. Forcing a child with autism to do anything is difficult and may cause resistance to the whole idea.
