Three Cheers For Poop!

Never in my life did I think I would call my child over to look at my poop. Never. Disgusting, right? Now, we've all taken a look at our own BM's (bowel movements for those that haven't discussed poop extensively in a clinical setting), perhaps been impressed or grossed out, but that's between you and you, and is extremely personal. But how do you toilet train an Autistic child who isn't speaking yet, and rarely makes nonverbal requests (unless you include gesticulating wildly when he catches a glimpse of Rice Krispie squares on the kitchen counter)? Modeling the appropriate behaviour is one way (hence showing Max my poop). Another key part of toilet training for a child with Autism is getting him used to the routine of toileting, even before he is actually ready to toilet train.
Max will be 3 years old on April 23rd. We know he isn't anywhere near being ready to "poop in the potty". It may take him a year or even two before he can manage it. If you think about it, there is a lot required for going the bathroom. If you break the process down, it's no surprise that kids, let alone kids with Autism, find it challenging. We are breaking the process down into tiny steps for Max so that he will gradually be able to incorporate them into his routine. The hope is that when he is ready, toilet training will be less stressful on all of us because he understands what is expected of him.
This is the toileting process as I see it:
Recognize that you have to go to the bathroom
Let an adult know you have to go the bathroom (verbal or nonverbal communication)
Go to the actual physical bathroom
Lift toilet lid, get little toilet seat in place
Pull pants down, pull underwear down
Sit on toilet
Relax
Poop
Wipe bum
Pull underwear up, pull pants up
Get down from toilet
Admire poop (you know you do this, admit it)
Flush toilet
Get up on stool to wash hands
Turn water on
Soap up hands (the soap texture is hard for some Autistic kids)
Rub hands together
Rinse hands
Dry hands
Do a big cheer for completing the process
That's no less than 20 steps! Geez...and we parents expect our kids to get this down in a day? Seems a bit unreasonable, even for a neurotypical kid.
We have reduced the process down to 3 steps for Max:
Change diaper
Put poop in potty, flush
Wash hands
He seems to be fairly comfortable with these steps, and isn't objecting to having his diaper changed nearly as much as he used to. I think this is because he knows that when we go in the bathroom, it is to change his diaper. We are being very clear about what is going to happen by using an activity strip, and telling him what we are doing and what is going to come next. He now reaches for the handle to flush the toilet after we put his poop in the toilet, and then moves to the stool to get up to wash his hands. I need to add a "dry hands" image for him, and also put a picture of a diaper on the front of the bathroom door so that he can either point to it, or bring it to me when he needs a diaper change. This process will not be completed in one day, but it will eventually result in Max being toilet trained. We just have to remind ourselves that this is a marathon and not a race.
One more thing - if you live in Canada, and your child is over the age of 3 years old and has a disability, you are eligible to receive funding for diapers from Easter Seals. With the costs of Max's therapy mounting, I am looking forward to getting help paying for diapers (though hopefully we won't need it for very long!)
Katrina Carefoot is a working mom with two children, her son Max, almost 3, and her daughter Cameron, almost 1. She works as a Marketing Manager in Toronto and writes about Autism, pop culture, and all things mommy at Fickle Feline.