A few months ago I saw a
friend’s facebook post. She shared that
she was starting to potty train her youngest child. Within a couple of days, there was another
post saying diapers were gone at their house.
Let me tell you, she received lots of comments. Her friends, me included, thought “what a
mom!” It made me look back at the ups
and downs I had with potty training. I
had one “easy one”, one “hard one”, and one that I wondered if I would need to
pack pull ups for college.
If you are struggling in
potty training, I want to encourage you that you have a friend. My youngest child is 18 so it’s been a while
since I’ve dealt with it at home. Now, I help others struggling with this issue
particularly families affected by disability.
I’ve learned a few things along the way.
1.
Rule
out any medical issues that are hindering the process. A referral to a pediatric gastro-intestinal
physician may be your first step. Does
your child have bouts of constipation and/or diarrhea? Does she hold bowel
movements and soil her underwear? Are
urination accidents more common when there are bowel movement accidents? Are
there food sensitivities that cause digestion problems (these are different
than food allergies)? My youngest child has an autism diagnosis and digestive
issues are very common with these children.
We made little progress before seeing a dr. for gastro-intestinal
issues.
2.
Refusal to go to the bathroom is often more than a behavior problem. Why? If there is constipation, it may hurt or it
may take “too long.” The child may not "feel" it.
We finally figured out that our youngest child didn’t “feel it” until it
was too late. His sensory system was
underdeveloped in this regard until he was older. The only thing we could do was keep him on a
schedule. If the child is slow to
mature, the social emotional skill of transitioning from a preferred activity
to a non-preferred one (going to the bathroom) may be quite a challenge for
him.
3.
A powerful motivator must be found and
used. For children that have a lot of
“behavior” regarding the bathroom, the motivator should be powerful and only attainable by going to the bathroom. Example:
if M & M’s are used as the reward, it’s important that M &M's are only gained through going to the potty. Otherwise, they cease to be a very
powerful motivator.
4.
I think most children learn better using a
multi-sensory approach. Be careful with
lots of verbalization. Try communicating
your expectations through visual schedules and picture directions.
You may want to have a "I’m
working for" chart. The visual may help a child stay excited about the reward.
This visual can be downloaded free http://visuals.autism.net/visuals/main.php?g2_itemId=59
You can find more examples on my pinterest boards, toileting,visual
supports, and sharing the agenda at http://pinterest.com/rsonepiece/boards
I also help families through my business at One Piece LLC. You can access my e-mail through this blog.
