Connect with others who understand.

  • Learn from expert-reviewed resources
  • Real advice from people who’ve been there
  • People who understand what you’re going through
Sign Up Log In
Powered By
Real members of MyAutismTeam have posted questions and answers that support our community guidelines, and should not be taken as medical advice. Looking for the latest medically reviewed content by doctors and experts? Visit our resource section.

How many of you are potty training or have potty trained your autistic child?

A MyAutismTeam Member asked a question 💭
Edgewood, WA

I really want to start potty training skyler. He is 4 1/2 and last two weeks he has sat on the toilet by himself and flushed it over and over and laughing. I am not sure if he will show interest or not or how to know when its time to potty train. Any ideas? My son is not very verbal but he does know what the potty is and he seems to know you sit on it because he did sit on it a couple times. Any suggestions would be helpfull!

April 27, 2012
 · 
Reactions

Answer Summary

Members shared their experiences potty training autistic children in response to a parent asking about starting with their 4.5-year-old son... Read more

Members shared their experiences potty training autistic children in response to a parent asking about starting with their 4.5-year-old son who shows interest in the toilet. Many community members described successful strategies including keeping a consistent schedule of bathroom visits every 20-30 minutes after meals, using rewards like small candies for progress, trying periods without diapers to increase awareness, and staying patient through setbacks like accidents or resistance to wiping. A recurring theme was that every child progresses at their own pace, with some taking years to fully train, and that waiting until the child shows readiness signs and following their lead often yields better results than forcing the process.

A MyAutismTeam Member

Hi Debbie,
I went through this a few years ago with Andrew. We started with peeeing. We took a few days off and kept him naked in the house with no diapers. Anytime he went pee in the toilet, we gave him a Hershey's kiss. He would get excited and say "I went pee pee in the potty! I want a candy!" It was fantastic how quickly it worked.
For #2, well that was not as easy. He wanted a diaper to poop in and we told him no, it was time to use the toilet. He became upset and cried, but when the time came where he could not hold it, we sat him on the toilet and as he pooped he exclaimed "I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" He was so proud of himself and that was it. After that he never had a problem. If he won't take the diaper off, try cutting a hole in the diaper and have him poop on the toilet wearing the diaper. That worked for a friend of mine whose child had ASD as well. I hope this helps.

April 27, 2012
A MyAutismTeam Member

@A MyAutismTeam Member that makes alot of sense! we figure we would try and if it doesnt work then its ok we will wait a bit longer. Basically i just want to try and see what happens.

May 2, 2012 (edited)
A MyAutismTeam Member

hello debbie,
my daughter is 3 and after some time trying she's got it. we had to make sure we kept her on schedule and took her everyday. she cries when she has accident though but besides that she goes on her own

April 28, 2012
A MyAutismTeam Member

Check out this free downloadable guide, "Toilet Training For Children In The Autistic Spectrum". It talks about readiness and gives some great hands-on advice on how to get started with the process.

http://autismbeacon.com/topics/article/toilet_t...

We started toilet training my son when he was around Skyler's age and it took several years to get him reliably trained. He's 17 now and we still struggle with wiping. We see progress but admittedly it's sometimes slow.

April 27, 2012
A MyAutismTeam Member

I have but it took about a year to do, not easy but he eventually got the hang of it

June 28, 2024

Related Questions

View All

Could use some potty training tips and would like to know what has worked for others

A MyAutismTeam Member asked a question 💭
Blairstown, NJ

toilet training

A MyAutismTeam Member asked a question 💭
Zephyrhills, FL

Potty training

A MyAutismTeam Member asked a question 💭
Lansdowne, PA

Continue with Facebook
Continue with Google
By joining, you accept our Terms of Use, and acknowledge our collection, sharing, and use of your data in accordance with our Health Data and Privacy policies.
Already a member? Log In