Toilet Training Tips

So, I’ve taken to spending the majority of a weekend when necessary, with families when it comes to toilet training their child.  It’s highly glamorous, really.  Just the mom, the dad, the child and me cooped up in the family bathroom for six or more hours at a time.  I brought donuts on the second day just in case anyone was in need of a morale boost since I left the parents on their own at the end of the first day.  They had a fresh pot of coffee on and were still in good spirits.  All kidding aside, it’s really the only way to do it.  During the weekend you are free from the week’s distractions and you have the entire family there for carry over, which in the long run is the deciding factor in a child’s success and generalization.  So, while I’ve been helping families with toilet training for years this was the first time I spent two full days helping to implement the protocol.  I thought I could share with you my general tips from years of experience along with some new insights from my newest adventure in toileting that I like to call the “weekend warrior”.

 First, we will start with the general tips:

 Prepare, prepare, prepare! This means talking about toileting every chance you get.

  • Learn your child’s routine (when do they typically “go”)
  • Watch videos about toileting
  • Read books or social stories about toileting
  • Use a doll for pretend toileting
  • Allow your child to watch you use the toilet
  • Provide opportunities to “try” without any pressure

 Gather materials. You want to have it all before starting.

  • A comfortable potty seat that fits over the toilet
  • A footstool for resting their feet and providing postural support
  • Data sheets
  • A timer
  • Lots of underwear!
  • Highly preferred snacks and drinks
  • As many reinforcers you can identify as highly motivating

 Several days before you begin:

  • Increase fluids to make sure child is well hydrated
  • Eliminate access to all items identified as highly preferred reinforcers to maintain potency

 What did I learn?

  • Adherence to the protocol is important but above all there needs to be a discussion regarding what makes the most sense for the family.  This was more apparent to me than ever having been in the home for so many consecutive hours.  For example, I feel strongly about going straight to underwear from diapers without using an intermediate type of coverage.  However, the stress of cleaning up possible accidents resulted in anxiety on the part of the parents, which in turn led to stress on the child (reducing success).  So, after two days in underwear we went to pull-ups and guess what, the child kept it dry the majority of the time!  This experience should be a collaborative partnership with the family, whatever protocol you are using; if it doesn’t make sense to the parent it won’t work.  It is our job as providers to individualize the plan for each family in a way that empowers them without compromising the core details of the protocol. 
  • I also feel rather strongly about starting on the regular potty instead of a little child potty.  However, we ended up doing a combination of both with great success.  It turns out that the child did better with the postural support provided by the child potty.  Since, he didn’t show any fear surrounding the use of the actual toilet we decided it was ok to use the potty and later transition to the toilet. 

If you think your you and your child are ready these are my “go to” references.  Best of luck!

Azrin, N.H., and Foxx, R.M. Toilet Training in Less Than A Day. New York, NY: Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1976. 

Kroeger, K. and Sorensen, R. (2010), A parent training model for toilet training children with autism. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 54: 556–567. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01286.x.  (Click the title to download the full article).

 

Thinking About All the Parents Out There…

With the holidays approaching we all know that gift giving will soon be in full swing.  This undoubtedly means that your families will be generously bestowed with electronic cause and effect toys.  These types of toys help to stimulate development as your child discovers the function of the toy and how to elicit certain responses from the object.  Children with special needs tend to have a longer relationship with these types of toys as they often serve as powerful reinforcers, meet ongoing sensory needs and continue to provide opportunities to address language and motor development.  Additionally, it may take a special needs child longer to master this type of play before moving onto more imaginative and creative play.  What I’m getting at is that these toys are going to be in your house longer and some of them are LOUD.  So when I came across the following post on Apartment Therapy the other day it jumped out at me as a piece vital information for all of you special needs parents out there.  We are always thinking about adaptations for toys and games for the kids but what about the parents?  A former sound engineer for children’s sound books shares a secret on how to turn down the volume on these toys.

Check it out and Happy Holidays!

Bringing Down the Volume on Electronic Toys