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Constipation/ASD/potty training

RdmaggieRdmaggie member
in Special Needs
DD is 2.5, recently diagnosed with Autism. When we switched from formula at 1ish to cows milk (and also when we did a brief trial of soy formula as an infant) she had terrible constipation. It improved slowly over time as we added fruit juice and water, eventually she began going daily or every other day, with stool that was either mushy to firm. She still had to strain at times but never to the point of crying or being in pain/bleeding. Anyway since we began potty training she is not going as frequently, I suspect this is because she has to stop whatever shes doing and sit, which for purposes of urinating doesn't bother her but since pooping takes longer shes not interested in sitting. She has yet to have any accidents but shes waiting longer and the stool is getting harder and less of it is being passed at a time. For example tomorrow will be day 3, and this is the 2nd time since potty training shes gone this long. Shes drinking as much juice and water as ever, along with eating grapes etc. so I'm not sure what else I can do to encourage her to go. Any suggestions? experience?
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Re: Constipation/ASD/potty training

  • RdmaggieRdmaggie member
    Thank you for the book recommendation. She has always sought seclusion to BM, since she could crawl. She's also never pooped anywhere but home, unless we were on vacation then she would wait until we returned to the hotel, this has been since infancy. We took her out of a diaper a few weeks ago and to our surprise she asked to go to the potty. She has asked ever since, as she doesn't like the sensation of wet clothes sticking to her body. She does need assistance taking pants on and off, if she is naked (after bath) she just goes by herself. It's just recently since we started that she has been waiting for several days to BM. She has had 0 BM accidents and only had two urine accidents over the course of the first 3 days of training. She's been accident free for weeks now.
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  • Zeidy01Zeidy01 member
    I'm in potty hell right now.
    I have a five year old that is potty trained but has anxiety when passing a BM.
    He stared to hoard his poop which then turned into extreme constipation.
    Last week we had to do a 3 day cleansing with him, and now he's on one cap of miralax and slowing decreasing the amount.
    It got so bad with him and he's now wearing a pull up for poops.
    I prefer him taking his time potty training than hoarding again. He was in horrible pain and his behavior was horrid.

    Take it slow, the worse thing is for her to start holding her poop, have a bad BM and then not want to ever go.

    Good luck!
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  • kar5162kar5162 member
    There is a (IMO) fabulous book on pooping, constipation and withholding, not autistic specific though. https://www.amazon.com/Ins-Outs-Poop-Childhood-Constipation/dp/0985496916/ref=sr_1_16?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377918464&sr=1-16&keywords=Poop We just got it a few days ago after speaking with the doctor who wrote it on an initial plan. It is fabulous. DS has CP and as a result of low core tone and a dairy sensitivity has struggled with constipation on and off since about 1, complicated by the fact that he is very sensitive to laxatives like Miralax. It has been very poorly managed by his pedi/other specialists. I finally feel like we have a good plan. He recommends being very conservative on weaning laxatives which I think is good. I dont like having DS on them, but I think weaning them too quickly is a big part of why we keep going through this vicious cycle of good poop, slight contstipation, a painful poop, withholding - which makes pooping much worse.
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  • Rink08Rink08 member
    DS1 is 6.5 and is suspected to have (what was referred to as) Aspergers. He also has milk and soy allergies. We tried to potty train at age 2 but with sensory and constipation issues, he wasn't completely day potty trained until 3.5 and then needed a nighttime diaper until a little over age 4. We currently have a fiber and laxative schedule that we follow because he will otherwise hold it in and end up with a distended stomach (followed by belly aches, increased tantrums, etc.)

    One thing that was recommended to us that seemed to help him was to buy a higher stool that made his legs at a 90* angle instead of hanging down.

    Good luck!

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  • Zeidy01Zeidy01 member
    I second the stool for her feet.

    https://www.squattypotty.com/
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