Potty Training 101: A Step-by-Step Guide for Parents of Children with Autism
We can't wait for our child to finish the diaper phase so that we can finally be free from buying them and save a lot of money and time. Children with autism will also come to a situation where diapers will bother them, and they want to move on to the next stage, which is the potty. So, we have prepared a very interesting guide that contains many methods that you can use and ways to make this procedure desirable for children and prepare them for the next stages.
The right moment
It is crucial that we refrain from pressuring the child to utilize the restroom if they are unwilling. We notice the first signs, such as the child staying dry for longer on their own accord. When the child shows interest in the toilet, he or she gives you signs that he or she wants to go there and is interested in what is being done there, but slowly it becomes time for him or her to start using the potty. A good tip is to not remove their diapers until they have started to use the potty more regularly, and when you see that the child is no longer urinating in the diapers at all, it is a good sign that you can get rid of the diapers. When you see that your child starts to feel ashamed when it is not dry, it is also a good sign that it is time for the next phase. Children with autism who put on and take off their pants by themselves show signs that they are ready to move on to the next level. Regular stool can also indicate that it is time for an upgrade. The period when a child can use the potty and stop using diapers is not specifically determined for children with autism, but you must pay attention to other signs. There can be a lot of signs, and it depends on the child; it's up to you to recognize them.
Use entertainment
Children learn much better through fun and play, regardless of whether they have autism or not. Many kinds of research on successful autism and potty training have significantly contributed to making all methods easily available. Place their favorite toys where you keep the child's potty so that they can see that it is a place where they will feel interested and where they will be happy to come. Also, present their physiological needs as a game and that, for example, sitting on the potty is like driving a car. You can even get them a toy steering wheel for an even better experience. Also, make everything neat and pretty. Let the potty have an interesting shape and color that your child will consider an interesting big toy. Buy your child pajamas and underwear in the image of their favorite hero, and keep saying how beautiful and interesting they are. They will then want to keep them, will not want to urinate in them, and will use the potty more and more.
Teach them with pictures
From the Internet, download the cards on which the pictures of the procedures of almost every detail are drawn. First, as a card for going to the toilet, then a card for sitting on the potty, and so on. A visual representation will help the child learn much more than ordinary communication. Let there always be a happy and positive child in the pictures so that they can experience it as a way to make it easier for themselves. Also, try to teach them to arrange the cards chronologically and make it a game for them. After the visuals you assigned them, be there at every step and encourage them. Video content can also be very helpful. A cartoon with an interesting animation of the whole process can attract your child's attention a lot. Creating and designing social stories that are adapted to the level of communication of children with autism at that age can also contribute a lot. Try as many different methods as possible until you see that one of them is the most interesting for the child.
Reward them
They must receive some kind of reward from you after each procedure is completed. It can even be your sincere delight that the child will recognize and be happy. It can also be some candy or a toy, and try to make it a different reward every time so that the child is interested in what they will get every time they successfully complete their mission. This can lead to the following problem where the child will then expect a reward every time, so make sure that there are more gifts in the beginning and that you slowly start to reduce them. This will then become a routine for your source of happiness, and the learning process will be able to stop.
Make it easily accessible
Children with autism can often have impaired motor skills, so you must make the entire area of your home, including the path to the potty, easily accessible for them so that they can reach it without any problems. The child must know that it will not present any difficulty in their daily activities so that they understand it as a normal routine.
Be patient
Children with autism will find this process more difficult but not impossible. It is up to you to be with them and to be constantly optimistic and happy because the child can recognize your negative energy and think that the whole process around the potty is bad and will start to avoid it. Try to check with the parents of children with similar disabilities and get some advice from them and, at the same time, encourage yourself that you too will achieve such a result that will motivate you even more.
We hope that this list will help you and facilitate your mission to encourage your child to progress. Remember to make everything fun, interactive, and accessible in this case, as in any other situation when you work with your child with disabilities.
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