Let’s agree we all have seen people, relatives, and friends struggling with their children’s potty-training. Training a child to use the toilet can be hard, and training a child with autism (ASD) can be harder. Children with autism require a little longer than normal kids to learn daily-routine associated activities like speaking, walking, toilet training, etc. As a result, potty training a child with ASD is a complex task that requires a great deal of care, planning, and patience.

We encourage the parents and caregivers of children with autism not to stress too much about their children’s potty training because as they say,” for every problem, there is a solution.” With a lot of patience, structure, and reinforcement, toiled training can be accomplished for children with autism. In this article, we focus on sharing all the detailed knowledge, a parent or a caregiver to a child with autism is required to know before starting his child’s potty training.

In this article, we will share different ways that can make the experience easier and entertaining, both for the parents and the children.

The medical condition of your child to consider before starting the potty training

Before starting with the potty training of your child, we recommend checking for any serious medical condition with your child that requires professional assistance with a pediatric. The sign and symptoms can vary between:

• Inability to hold urine (considered abnormal with age)
• Foul-smelling urine
• Abnormal colored urine or bowel
• Too frequent or very little urination
• Small, hard, and painful-to-pass bowel
• Very little bowel movements in a week (less than twice on average)

Signs to look for before potty training children with autism

There is no specific age for children with autism spectrum to begin potty training because every child has a unique set of problems and needs, which may differ from that of another’s significantly.

Experts recommend looking for some signs to know when to begin your child’s potty training. Below are some signs that most children considered for learning toilet use show:

General signs:

• Children being able to tell you with a gesture or sign that they have wet their nappy, diapers, or clothes
• Having regular formed bowel movements
• Being able to follow simple instructions like ‘sit on the toilet.”
• Having developed a fine gross and motor skill necessary for toilet use
• When the child can imitate an action
• When the child can locate the bathroom in a house

Definitive signs:

• The children will show discontent in wet or soiled diapers or pull-ups and will take off them on their own, or at least try to get rid of them
• They show interest in using the toilet by watching elder siblings or adults using it
• They will take an adult to the bathroom to get a clean and dry diaper or nappy

Preparing a child with an autism spectrum disorder for toilet training

Generally speaking, the preparation for children with autism spectrum disorder are comparatively the same as that of normal children. But one thing has to be kept in mind that children with ASD might take a bit little longer and might need a few extra strategies.

One of the most important things to consider while teaching your child with potty is that potty training is all about communicating and working together with your child. Experts also suggest breaking down one big goal i.e. potty training into smaller goals when teaching children with autism, like familiarizing your child with the toilet seat first, how to use it, and then flushing it afterward. It makes the experience much easier to learn.

Three main toilet training strategies for children with autism spectrum disorder

As we talked about how a big task can be broken down into smaller steps and then taught with more efficiency; here we have collected the best strategies that you can use when teaching your child about using a toilet:

1.   Rewards and encouragement

Rewards and encouragement play a big role in positive reinforcement. To check out how parents can use positive and negative reinforcements to teach children suffering from autism, check out our article (paste the link).

Rewards and encouragement can vary depending on each case. It can vary from:

• Non-verbal praise and gestures like clapping your hands, showing thumbs up or high-fives.
• Verbal praise and compliments like “well done Tom, good job”
• A star on a sticker chart or a special sticker on the door or bedroom wall
• A favorite activity as a reward, like playing on a see-saw or a toy train
• Favorite snack or healthy food

Parents are advised to check out what type of reward works best for them. Rewards that can amaze peer children with no ASD can fail to have the same efficacy on children with ASD. So know your reward that encourages your child. Don’t overuse a reward, and make sure your child understands for what behavior he is being rewarded.

Use a variety of rewards and use the one that works best for your child. After your child has learned the task, stop using the food, toys, and activities as a reward gradually, but keep on using the verbal and non-verbal rewards.

2.   Visual learning support

Children with autism learn effectively through visual senses. Doctors recommend using visual charts and pictures for teaching different activities linked with daily-life.

Potty training can be reinforced through visual charts. Hang charts and pictures with interesting characters showing how and what to do while using the toilet in a step-wise manner. Practice it with your child at least twice a day.

3.   Learning through social stories

Teaching through social stories is a great way to enhance learning for autistic children and make it more efficient and practical. You can use it for teaching toilet training your child. You can also seek the help of a professional (occupational therapist, speech pathologist, or school teacher). While preparing a social story for your child, keep a few things in mind:

• Use simple storylines with attractive illustrations and pictures written from your child’s perspectives
• Describe the situation like “how to use a toilet” with details
• Suggest how and why your child should respond in a particular way.

Conclusion

teaching potty training to children with autism is a complex process that requires a great deal of expertise and patience. There are a few precautionary measures you need to take before considering your child ready for the training, like have your child checked up for any serious medical conditions. There are signs to look for that tell you that it is the right time to start the training. Use special tragedies designed for autistic kids to make their learning more fruitful. Many techniques might work for some children and not for others, depending on the needs and requirements of each child. It is better to try every possible method to test which strategy works best for your child.