Seeking Potty Training Advice

sorry i can't help i'm in the same situation except mine is still in pull ups. when i try underwear he makes messes. My son also has PDD along with a genetic condition. He goes to special needs preschool and they use the Foxx & Azrin Potty Training protocol which is made for developmental delayed children. They plan on helping me reinforce it and try it out in school since everyone is at different stages of Potty training

Hello. I am also new to the group. My son is 6yrs. old and is mild to severe on the Autism spectrum. He does not speak and is not potty trained. I am now just starting to get real serious and I still find myself not sticking with it. He has been training in school since 3 yr. old. Bancroft teachers actually gave up. And so did I. But I tried again and again,thought I had it but found out I was wrong. School stopped training him again from September until January and I got so mad because they were making him wear adult diapers because he wasn't being trained and then the nurse kept calling me and writing me telling me that I had to take him to the doctors because of his rash. My son hates the doctors and I only want to take him when I absolutely have to. I went crazy one day and started yelling at her about him wearing adult diapers all day and not potty training as per his IEP and now he has a rash and you are blaming me. I am just so frustrated. Moms everywhere are giving me ideas. Even my friend of over 20 years who also has an Autitic boy who is 7. Every idea she gave me didn't work. I know I can potty train a child by 7 yr old was trained by 2. This child is just not ready but I am not giving up.I am tired of cleaning floors rugs, blankets and sheets every single day. I tried no diapers. I tried running water. I tried every 15 minutes. You may be able to get him to go but does he really know or care what he is doing. You just happened to catch him. I was told just underwear.I even tried a urine bottle. I am about to get a comode and sit it next to his computer. I will try anything. You can try every idea that anyone gives you and the only thing that will work is you child. If you have found any solutions please let me know. ____@____.com
D. M

I agree with getting that book, on the other hand, he might be scared with the whole potty thing and school. He may feel scared that if he has an accident at school, he will get in trouble, and kids will laugh at him, and tease him. He feels very comfortable at home and knows that wont happen. Be very patient with him. Read this book with him.

Hello My name is Jen. I use to work in public schools and in homes with special needs children. When they do the potty training in school at first they would take the child every 10 min and then after the first day every 15 min. If they went you can say Yeah you went Potty or give him a sticker. There are also non verbale cards that have pictures of the toilet and you can use the sign and teachg him the sign so he will be able to communitcate with you. I know this can be frustrating to you and the people that work with him. I use to have to remind myself while working it's not thier fault but thier desease. It's kind of having a toddler stuck in a big body.

sorry i can't help i'm in the same situation except mine is still in pull ups. when i try underware he makes huges messes. he won't even tell the school when he has to go. sorry i'm no help, but does anyone know where i can find that book? i've never heard of it

Hi A., I am a mother of a 10 year old who had PDD NOS. Tony drove us absolutely crazy. We tried everything to get Tony to potty train and one day he just did it. Now since we have had a second son, Tony had taken to wearing pullups at night because he can't sleep all night without wetting the bed sometimes. I think you really need to make him sit on the potty once an hour until he goes. This is what we did with Tony. And I would tell him that because he can't tell you when he had to go, that you have to do this. PDD kids are sooo smart, I would bet he would start telling you. Then I would get with your school district and if he does not have an aide in class, have them give him one. He is entitled to one. Then he could tell the aide, or the aide can make sure that he goes at the appropriate time. Another thought might be that he is reacting to a dye in a food. Tony would react to red dyes and then have uncontrollable episodes.

You sound like you have your hands full. Best of luck, and keep in touch. And don't stress over it, I find when I stress over Tony, he feels it and then things just get worse.

My son who has autism didn't potty train until he was almost 5 and still has occasional night accidents at 10 yo. Doesn't he have accidents at all in school? I would guess at home you are going to have to use a timer or clock to teach him to use the bathroom at certain times. Every 2 hours or longer if he goes that long? A timer gives them a visual until they can understand their body signals.

Hi A.,
You've probably seen this book, but it's

Toilet Training for Individuals with Autism and Related Disorders by Maria Wheeler

When I taught kiddos with autism and spectrum disorders, this was our basis for training them. My personal guess is that he's gotten away with accidents at home for 3 years now (or whenever you started training) and he's comfortable with the repercussions...I would start with getting him scheduled trained at home (so he knows when you expect him to go), and then move on from there. Remember, lots of reinforcement!!!
Good luck
M.

I don't know much about Autism but after i read your post I happen to read an article in Time magaizine. IT was actully about the state paying for the schooling of special needs children when it exceeds what they're willing to offer but one of the things that caught my attention and made me think of you is the boy in thier articel also had trouble being potty trained at home and not at school and the problem was that the school's teachings weren't stresching beyond its borders. like the child wasnt able to connect what he learned at school with what he should do at home. Prehaps this is part of the problem? Please let me know how everything turns out.