Problems Potty Training & Getting My Kid to Bed My Son Is Autistic

Hi E. :)
http://www.amazon.com/Potty-Scotty-The-Kit/dp/B000F1QSAK/...
I was trained with this method in the 70's and I trained my son with it when he was 2. It works like a charm! Everyone I know who've used it have also had fantastic results. :)

Hope this helps!
M.

E., I don't know where you are located but you can call a friend of mine, Penny Zindt. She is a chiropractor, but most importantly she is the mother of a now young adult son, that is autistic. She was told that he will never be productive, etc. and he lives on his own now! All because of the work that she did with him. People from all over come to her for help with their children. She can give you advise on how to deal with things. And she is the most loving, caring, wonderful human beings you will ever meet. She knows first hand and therefore is able to help more than others. Call her at her work and tell her that C. gave you her number. ###-###-####.
It will be the most important phone call you will ever make for yourself as well as your son and your family.
Keep in touch. C.

E.,

I have been there!
I first have a few Questions, Do you have Him involved in any programs? Physical thearpy, occupational thearpy, speech? I too am the mother of a five year old boy with autism, his name is Daniel. when daniel was diagnosed with autism i quit working full time, i worked part time for 2 1/2 years and now i back to work full time. i made a decision i was not going to let this rule our life. I was taking Daniel to structured play groups, taking hime out side and giving him as much physical activity as possible. Sitting at the table doing picture exchange 3 times a day 20 min a time. I adjusted his diet, so he was not having to battle with uncomfortable bowles. the past five years of my life were life chanigng, the fact that i have seen the long term effects of autism and other disabilities from working as a trainer and advocate i think made me work harder than i ever thought i could. Bed time and potty training will happen with consistancy. I would sit out side Daniels door at night when he was 2 and could hear him screaming and throwing things, and would cry to think i was doing something wrong with my own child. Days turned in to weeks but it finaly came that amazing night when i said "Daniel what time is it?" " Bed time mom" He just turned five on Saturday, he has been in school 3 years now has had all three thearpies 4 days a week, he cross country skiis, snowboards and loves to swim. My main advise is don't give him a chance to tell you "no" let him have his melt downs, walk away and he will get over it. there will be plenty of thing he will get to make his own, like coloring playing games and learning, but if we are consisntant with the things we need to be life becomes easier. Our day to day is much the some, our routine varies to help Daniel learn that things are not always the same, but it help to let him think he has control of what is going to happen next. make sure however that there is nothing else causing the meltdowns on the medical side of it.

And i am so sorry i have rambled on so much. i love the world of autism, theres good day and bad but it our life.
best of luck to you.

I you would ever need some to chat with feel free to contact me.
C.

ahh I wish I had the magic answer for you. I belong to a couple groups on myspace of parents with autistic children. This is a farily regular discussion alot of the other moms there may have better information for you. My son trained at 3 so I was lucky in that respect. I guess the biggest thing I have heard is not to make it a huge deal when they have accidetns and offer a reward system. One friend gives her son one m&M for going into the bathroom, 2 M&Ms for sitting 3 for #1 and 5 for #2 Maybe something like this would work for you. Good luck.

Everyone seems to have goven such good advice. My son John will me 6 in March and is having a terrrible time potty training he too is autistic. He also has many food sensitivites so he is on a special diet to help with tummy aches and such. Part of the potty training issue is that it is a sensory issue. Many kids with autism just dont feel the urge to go. They simply do not feel the sensation. One OT that worked with my son gave me an article that suggested slowly cutting away parts of the diaper so that the feel of security with the diaper is still there but it would have a hole in the crotch to allow the waste to pass into the toilet. Then slowly remove more and more of the diper until he is used to the complete sensation of voiding in the toilet without any diaper left. I will be honest I did not try this but figured I would share it with. I also just wanted to say that I would love to get to know you and the other mom's on here that live with the challenges and joys of autism. I have boy/girl twins both on the autism spectrum.

Hey E.,

Have you tried working with a behaviorist yet? They can really help a lot with the potty training schedules. My son is 11 and is Autistic, but there is a good chance that he will never potty train. I think it has more to do with the fact that I am not consistant enough, but I'm not sure.

There is a behaviorist who works out in the Stockton area, and you can request her through Valley Mountain Regional Center if you are working with them. There are also some books that you can get at various sites, and Barnes and Nobles.

Good luck!

This must be very frustrating. My 3 1/2 yograndson does alot of hitting and kicking at times too. He is just now learning to talk since he started with speech therapy. One concern was that it might be autistic. He's very social and so they decided he isn't. But I did some reading (very little) about autism. One thing I learned is that frequently what works with the average kid will not work with the autistic kid. Since he's in school I assume that you are working with some professionals in the field of helping families with autistic kids. If not find a social worker who can help you.

My daughter talks every other week with a social worker at the Headstart school where my grandson attends. The social worker gives her good ideas for ways of managing my grandson. Although my daughter's income makes her ineligible for state financial aide the school district provides help without cost for Chase because of the law that requires that all children have the chance to succeed in school.

I do have a couple of suggestions for why this might be happening. Since he does use the potty when he comes home from school, using it at other times may have become a power struggle. Refusing is a way for him to feel more powerful. I'm guessing he feels quite powerless not only because he's autistic but also because he has a new baby brother. If you could find ways of making using the toilet his idea and fun that might help. The potty dance sounds good.

One thing I did with both of my grandchildren is to watch when they seemed to need to go and race them to the bathroom. I still do that sometimes with my 6 yo granddaughter when she's refusing to do something and she thinks it's so funny for grandma to be running that she forgets to rebel.

I praise you for hanging in there with an autistic son. That is a difficult job. I do hope that you do have some professional help.

M.

When my son hit 3 years old his daycare wanted him to be trained, we tried everything to DVD movie, books, until one day our best friends who have a little girl the same age as my son told us what they did to get her to be potty trained. They did a "Potty" dance. Yep I said it. They get the biggest kick out of seeing there mom or dad doing a silly potty dance after they went potty. They also can get an award for it if you chose to especially after #2. We also say this techinque on Nany 911. Crazy as it sounds it works and has been recommended to other of my friends. Good Luck

My son also has an autistic spectrum disorder. We used the reward system for him. When he went to the bathroom he god a sticker then once he had enough stickers he got a treat. What you can do while starting out is whenever he sits on the toilet (whether he goes or not) give him reward. Keep working on that then up the anti so to say. Always make a huge deal about how good he is trying. You can do the same for bed time. If he stays in bed a quiet for even 30-seconds he gets a treat... Eventually he will be able to stay longer. Hope is helps.