Potty Training and Autism

Neither one of my two sons (now 17 and 19, and both recipients of academic college scholarships) were fully potty trained until well after their 4th birthday.

My daughter, however, took her diaper off, climbed up on the pot, and was done with diapers forever at 18 months.

Point being, on the spectrum or not, every child is different. After you try all the tricks everyone swears will work, and he still isn't getting it, put it down for a couple weeks and try again.

And relax, potty training is WAY less stressful then teaching them to drive!

:)

My friend has a son with Aspergers. He's very high functioning AND super smart. All I can tell you is that there was definitely a delay--he trained a lot later than 3....more like 4-5. Your pediatrician can really help you with this. Good luck!

My son who has PDD wasn't fully potty trained until he was around four.

My best advice is unless you have to for preschool let him give you signs he is ready. Otherwise it just ends up frustrating for all involved.

My son has autism and is high-functioning. He was four (almost five) before he was potty trained. We put him in pull-ups and he went to the restroom for #1, but #2 was almost impossible until much later. Don't worry about what's "normal". Do what is best for your son. We didn't push it, and it kind of just happened. A few tricks I can pass on: try to find out if there is a clue that your son gives you just before he goes #1 or #2. Look for those clues, and take him to the bathroom then. Our son would run around, looking for something, although he never told us what it was. That was our sign. Also, whenever he woke up dry from naps, we took him to the bathroom. In the morning, we took him to the bathroom. It kind of became habit first, then his bladder started to pay attention.

Ok, first you NEED to know what challenges you are dealing with - autism often comes with sensory issues and that was our issue with the potty training in my son with ADHD and Sensory issues. Once you KNOW what you are working with you can then get the proper team on your side (Occupational, Speech, Development, Mental ect therepists) to devise the right plan and timeline for these things to happen. Chances are if you son IS autistic or has another developmental issue he is behind in other areas as well and until he is caught up there potty training may be too stressful. My son was in pull ups until 4 but then, BOOM! overnight like a spark it happened in a week and he has not had an accident since! You can go back and read my posts from a few years ago on all the potty training and other issues for answers if you like as well. Honestly, hold off on the potty training until you know what is going on with your son and you have your team assembled and a plan in place.

My local KinderCare saved me from potty training insecurity. My son was just 3, and not yet potty trained - I hadn't started yet, and was intimidated by it. He was able to see other kiddos learning to potty, and his room teacher coached me. First pullups to get the hang of getting the pants up/down. Then she let me know when he was ready to switch to underwear during the day. It took about a month, but he did great. There will be accidents, but it's not that bad. Find out what cleaning products work best for urine/poopies and do your best to get him into the bathroom fast :)

Wait till after the evaluation, and ask the people for recommendations. Kids potty at all different ages. Good luck!

My son was 8 before he was potty trained but we don't have the night time down at all. I would wait to see what your diagnosis is so the team can help you out. They may have some resources available for you to use.
He is non-verbal, sensory problems, mild mental retardation, behind in Gross and Fine motor but slowly getting better.
I'm not sure what state your in but here, we have a group that will actually come in and help you potty train or help with whatever you need. I actually used them to help me with the morning routine since it was really ugly and we would put on shows for the busses.
Don't get discouraged, you'll get there.

Well, my 4 year old speech delayed son who is in special education pre-school is very resistant to potty training. He flat out tells me that he wants diapers. I tried putting underwear on him and he would pee just a tiny bit in his underwear and then fling off his underwear and pee on the floor. We have all hardwood. So I will be monitoring the answers you get because I am in a pickle as well.

My son turned 4 in September and had shown absolutely NO signs of readiness or willingness at all. We had tried everything that others said would "definitely work" to no avail. Then the day after Christmas he woke up and put on "big boy underoos" that had been in his drawer for two years (too small now so I bought him new ones!) and said he was potty trained. He had 2 accidents that first week and none since, including overnight, at nap, at school, church, the store, etc. He literally just decided he was going to be trained, so he was.

As for your other concerns, we had my son do a 4-hour evaluation at our local university children's hospital to see if he was on the autism spectrum. He saw an occupational therapist, a speech therapist, a medical pediatrician and a psychologist. The result? He's not autistic, but he is considered "gifted" as far as academics. If my "gifted" kiddo who is reading chapter books at the age of 4 couldn't potty train until late, I'm sure you'll be fine. Just give him some time!