It
can take a lot of hard work and patience to successfully
potty
train an autistic child. However, ensuring your
child is potty trained is a very important step in
the developmental process, for any child. Autism potty
training, however, may bring about a sense of foreboding
to parents of an autistic child. But this doesn't
always have to be the case, as we explore in this
article.
The
first thing you'll need to understand is that some
of the universal rules that apply to potty
training a child are not always applicable with
an autistic
child. Rather, they require some adaptation from
their original form to become relevant. It is also
important to remember that patience and determination
are both prerequisites when attempting to undergo
this challenge. It will not be easy, and will take
some hard work.
Another
thing you will need to remember is that autistic children
do not react to positive reinforcement as you might
expect a non-ASD child to act. Because of this, you
can't count on utilizing prizes and rewards to get
your child to learn. And if you can't count on a consistent
reaction, it may be best to abandon this tactic altogether.
It
is also very important that you take the time to effectively
communicate the importance of using a bathroom or
toilet to your child. This is because a child with
autism simply might not understand the importance
of the matter. One smart idea to accomplish this might
be to use visual references instead of verbal references.
You can use simple illustrative guides that show the
step-by-step process. You can buy books or flash cards
for this purpose or you could make your own. It doesn't
matter how you choose to address the problem, however
it is vital to communicate the importance of why big
boy and girls use the bathroom, which may be an especially
difficult concept for an autistic child to understand.
Yet
another obstacle you may encounter is the fact that
children with autism have a difficult time knowing
when they need to use the bathroom. This is probably
the number one reason that accidents are common. The
best way to overcome this is to set up a routine.
Using a timer or a clock, have your child go to the
bathroom at the same time every day. This shouldn't
be too hard to accomplish, as autistic children are
generally prone to wanting routine anyway.
While
you should be resolute in your commitment to helping
your child, it is important to bear in mind that children
with autism do not willingly and readily accept change
into their lives. So, don't become frustrated or disheartened
if you don¡¯t achieve your desired results soon.
If your child does not respond positively to one strategy,
then don't be too unwilling to try another. If you're
determined to achieve success from the onset, then
you will help your child master this very critical
step in the developmental
process.
It
is true that autism potty
training might not seem to mix without eliciting
some negative emotion, but this needn¡¯t be the
case. Follow the above tips, stay flexible in your
approach, and you should get the positive results
you're looking for.
