One of my consultation clients is having tons of success with special needs potty boot camp. But her son was afraid to use the toilet in their place of worship. This is soooooo common! Kids finally get used to the set up in their home bathrooms. They know how long it takes to get there,…… Continue reading Help Your Kid Get Over Their Fear of the Public Potty!
Category: toilet training
Hypermobile? Don’t Sit Too Long on the Toilet!
A lot of hypermobile kids and adults get constipated. If they have low muscle tone along with hypermobility, or are couch potatoes, being constipated is even more common. This can lead to extended periods of sitting on the toilet to have a bowel movement. They bring in a screen (ewww!) or a magazine. And then…… Continue reading Hypermobile? Don’t Sit Too Long on the Toilet!
A Fun Game to Build Your Child’s Attention
Toilet training is, at its heart, building a child’s attention to their bodily needs and teaching them to physically manage them. They aren’t born knowing how far to push their pants down or how quickly they will need to get to the toilet after they sense urgency. The motivation will be there if they don’t…… Continue reading A Fun Game to Build Your Child’s Attention
How Do You Start Potty Training with an Autistic Child?
This question is fairly easy to answer: the adults build their OWN toilet training skills first! Why is that critical to success? Because kids with ASD will need trainers with better observational skills, better ability to adapt the environment and their prompts, and better understanding that the job isn’t done until the child is 100%…… Continue reading How Do You Start Potty Training with an Autistic Child?
Reduce Potty Accidents in Hypotonic (Low Toned) Kids: Teach Them a Modified Valsalva Maneuver
Lots of my pediatric clients with low muscle tone are toilet trained. But…they still have bladder accidents well after being trained. They are upset by this. Their parents and their teachers aren’t too happy either. They reach for the pencil they dropped, or lift up their backpack, and leak a little urine. Sometimes more…… Continue reading Reduce Potty Accidents in Hypotonic (Low Toned) Kids: Teach Them a Modified Valsalva Maneuver
Can Your Special Needs Child Stay Dry through the Night?
Nighttime continence is one of the mountains to climb on the way to complete toilet training. I wrote two books on special needs potty training,( The Practical Guide to Toilet Training the Autistic Child: From Diapering Differently to Using Public Facilities and The Practical Guide to Toilet Training Your Child With Low Muscle Tone:…… Continue reading Can Your Special Needs Child Stay Dry through the Night?
Does Your Child Hate Hearing Hand Dryers and Flushing Toilets?
Hardly anyone finds public toilets a pleasant place when nature calls. But some kids (and adults!) react very poorly to the sounds of the public toilet. It might take some experience or some discussion to figure out that the sounds of the public toilet, specifically hand dryers and flushing, are what make them the most…… Continue reading Does Your Child Hate Hearing Hand Dryers and Flushing Toilets?
How to Communicate with Your Child’s School During Toilet Training
Later this month I will be speaking to a combined parent and staff group on special needs toilet training. This is a terrific opportunity to build bridges and help both groups learn more about my targeted sensory-motor approach. I am truly honored. Among the topics I have been asked to address is this one: how…… Continue reading How to Communicate with Your Child’s School During Toilet Training
Two Causes of Bedwetting Your Pediatrician Might NOT be Mentioning
ADHD and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) can increase a child’s bedwetting at any age. When you think about it, this make a lot of sense. So…let’s think about it. ADHD: Kids with ADHD often struggle to settle down for the night. They still have to get up for school at the same time in the…… Continue reading Two Causes of Bedwetting Your Pediatrician Might NOT be Mentioning
Are You Potty Training TOO LATE?
There is a simple answer: you train when you and your child are ready to train, and not a minute before that. But… you can miss the signs and train too late. Your pediatrician won’t tell you this, but there are hidden consequences to waiting to train. In the current tide of emotions on social…… Continue reading Are You Potty Training TOO LATE?
Can Adaptive Equipment Be Dangerous to Your Child?
That was a trick question: of course it can. The wrong adaptive equipment can create hazards as well as bad habits that are hard to break. And it happens all the time now, as parents and patients decide that they know exactly what is needed. It also happens when they aren’t provided with access to…… Continue reading Can Adaptive Equipment Be Dangerous to Your Child?
Can Your Autistic Child use the Potty in a Public Place Yet?
What does it take to get a child with autism to completely independently, and calmly, use the toilet in a public place? Solid skills at home, comfort with being in an unfamiliar bathroom, and no option of using a Pull-Up. Get your child so good at using the bathroom at home that they could…… Continue reading Can Your Autistic Child use the Potty in a Public Place Yet?
Reduce Your Autistic Child’s Chances of Being Sexually Abused by Toilet Training Them
No parent wants to think about this subject. Not one. But it is essential to realize that abuse happens. The statistics are concerning. The majority of abuse continues to happen in the same locations as for neurotypical kids: the child’s home, relative’s homes, and the homes of family friends. But because autistic children also…… Continue reading Reduce Your Autistic Child’s Chances of Being Sexually Abused by Toilet Training Them
Make Life with Your Special Needs Child Easier: The Special Needs Toileting Handout Pack is Finally Here!
After writing The Practical Guide to Toilet Training the Autistic Child I got a lot of feedback on how great the book was. And how long. It seems that some professionals and a lot of parents are so crushed for time that they wanted a “Cliff Notes” version (showing my age, I guess…!) So I decided…… Continue reading Make Life with Your Special Needs Child Easier: The Special Needs Toileting Handout Pack is Finally Here!
How Early is TOO EARLY to Potty Train?
I have been asked this question twice by friends in the month since my new book, The Practical Guide to Toilet Training the Autistic Child: Sensory-Motor Secrets to Success, came out. My answer hasn’t changed, but my awareness of how other people view readiness has. The short answer: You can train successfully much earlier than…… Continue reading How Early is TOO EARLY to Potty Train?
The Practical Guide to Toilet Training the Autistic Child: From Diapering Differently to Using Public Facilities
Toilet Training a child with autism is not easy. It just got easier for you. The Practical Guide to Toilet Training the Autistic Child: Sensory-Motor Secrets for Success is finally done! I wanted to share everything I have learned as a pediatric occupational therapist for over 25 years. And everything I have…… Continue reading The Practical Guide to Toilet Training the Autistic Child: From Diapering Differently to Using Public Facilities
Why Does Autism Create so Many Toilet Training Struggles for Kids (and Their Exhausted Parents)?
It isn’t that parents and professionals think potty training an autistic child will be easy. They know it could be a challenge and it could take longer than training a neurotypical child. They simply don’t expect it to be so consistently tough and to have so many unexpected twists and turns. Some of them can…… Continue reading Why Does Autism Create so Many Toilet Training Struggles for Kids (and Their Exhausted Parents)?
How To Decide Between “Boot Camp” and Gradual Potty Training
Whether or not you are training a special needs child or a neurotypical child, you will have to think about exactly which methods you will be using. The two general categories for training strategies are the “boot camp”, in which the child spends days living near the potty, focusing on toileting, and the gradual…… Continue reading How To Decide Between “Boot Camp” and Gradual Potty Training
Use Dry Runs With Autistic Kids During Potty Training (Wait; What’s a Dry Run?)
I finished writing “The Practical Guide To Toilet Training The Autistic Child: Sensory-Motor Secrets For Success”. It was a labor of love, and a lot of work. I got to the chapter on safety and balance, and decided that I couldn’t wait until it is published to put out another post on why “dry…… Continue reading Use Dry Runs With Autistic Kids During Potty Training (Wait; What’s a Dry Run?)
What is The Best Toilet Paper For Potty Training?
Before I wrote my first book, The Practical guide to Toilet Training Your Child with Low Muscle Tone, I took out every book on potty training my regional library system would share with me. While I did determine that the best book for neurotypical kids was “Oh Crap Potty Training”, I didn’t see a lot…… Continue reading What is The Best Toilet Paper For Potty Training?