Teaching a child with autism to go to the bathroom can be much more complicated than doing it with a neurotypical child. It is a challenge that many parents have to face, but once the goal is reached, it is an important step in the evolution of the child with autism. The first thing is to know if the child is physically ready or not to leave the diaper.
It is important to remember that toilet training is a physical process, intelligence and language development are not influenced. So don't worry if your child has non-verbal autism. That I still can't ask in words to go to the bathroom, does not mean that you are not ready to start the process. The most advisable thing is to follow the recommendations of the child's therapist, in order to recognize the signs that indicate that the time has come.
Most ASD children put off the diaper later than other children, their learning process is longer and requires much more patience. However, with a series of guidelines you can help your child with autism to go to the bathroom. Every child is different, something that is undoubtedly even more true in the case of children with a learning disorder.
However, children with autism share some characteristics that make it difficult to learn common situations such as going to the bathroom. It is generally about lack of autonomy, such as difficulty getting clothes off to go to the bathroom. The lack of language also makes toilet training difficult, because the child cannot express that he has any need. In other cases there are physical causes that specialists must assess.
As well as the lack of understanding of the body's own signalsas many children with autism are unaware that they have to use the bathroom. Many even have difficulty recognizing that they have gotten dirty. Therefore, children with autism need specific training to be able to go to the bathroom. A series of guidelines that regulate your body and brain and allow you to leave the diaper.
Guidelines for potty training a child with autism
Below you will find some general guidelines that will be very useful to you. However, before starting it is advisable that check with your child's therapist to see if he's ready or not. In the same way that happens with the rest of the children, once the process begins, you should not go back. So it is essential to wait for the right moment.
These are some basic guidelines with which you can teach your child with autism to go to the bathroom:
- Very frequent sittings that will be spaced. The first days you will have to sit the child in the bathroom 15 minutes each, a few seconds and without forcing him to be seated.
- No questions. When it's time to go to the bathroom, tell your child firmly that "it's time to go to the bathroom", don't ask a question or wait for an answer.
- Create a routine. The routines they are essential for ASD children, and in this case even more so. A bath routine will help your child get used to this action, to recognize it and at some point to carry it out by himself.
- Positive reinforcement. When your child manages to relieve himself in the bathroom, he should receive a positive response. You can use something that he likes a lot, like some chocolate or stickers of his favorite drawings. Conversely, you never scold him for his leaks, you will only get his brain to crash even more.
- Use pictograms. Pictograms are great for helping children with autism understand any situation. You may use photos of yourself to create a sequence to take you to the bathroom.
Constancy, patience and love
You may feel frustration at many times, that you lose patience and want to give up. Most parents who go through something like this feel it, if not all. Although it is a tough job, which requires a lot of sacrifice because you will have to be attentive all day, wash countless clothes, clean the floor or the sofa, the satisfaction of helping your child to take this step makes up for everything.
Being able to go to the bathroom normally and put off the diaper is a fundamental step in the autonomy of children with autism. Although slow, it is a goal that can be reached with patience, with great perseverance and above all, with a lot of love and understanding.