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Toilet issues

mommyof4boysmommyof4boys member
in Special Needs

Matthew is afraid to go poop now on the potty.  He was potty trained almost a year ago, the beginning of January.  He started having issues in August and it's been off and on since then.  It's like an anxiety driven behavior because he said he's afraid to go. 

I consulted with his the social worker in the developmental peds office who couldn't give us much as for as suggestions.  I started giving him a sticker/m&m, etc if he'll go on the potty but he's still afraid.  He wakes up every morning with a huge poo in a pullup or goes in his underwear.  How can I get him over this hump?  It stinks (literally and figuratively)!

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Re: Toilet issues

  • runnergirl2008runnergirl2008 member

    I had a student who had this problem and this is what we did:

    We started by getting him to sit on the toilet for 15 seconds (he wouldn't even go in the bathroom at the beginning). Every time he would do that, we would give him the reinforcer he had chosen. After a solid day of 15 seconds, we increased it to 30, then a minute, then 2, etc. It took a few weeks but eventually he was going in there and going without anything at all.

    Start small. If you can get him to just sit on the potty and try, I would reward him big time. The more rewarding it is, the less scary it will become, most likely. Then you can fade away the rewards until he's doing it on his own.

    Good luck! ?

    Baby Birthday Ticker TickerBaby Birthday Ticker Ticker
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  • kirbearkirbear member

    Hi There,

     

    My brain is fried right now and I can't think straight enough to go into much detail, but look up Encopresis and  see what you think.  My dd has this and it has been a looong road, but I have seen a lot of progress- so there is hope!  We have worked with her pedi, a GI, and a child psychologist.  She was dx by a child psychiatrist last year. My dd also has some anxiety. I have to say the most success that we have had is following behavioral/emotional side rather than the medical side of treatment....

    Read about encopresis and see what you think.  I'd be more than happy to share all of our strategies, treatment etc...

    Best of luck, I know how frustrating this can be!!

    Kirsten

    Kirsten DD 4-7-06
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