Potty training help - low tone pre schooler

[dlp]

My dd, C, is pushing towards 4 and we have made almost no progress with PT. Part of me thinks with her low tone she just doest feel the sensations the same as typically developing kids (Her additional dx are developmental dyspraxia - lots of motor planning issues - and oral motor apraxia - she is still pretty much non-verbal).

Some strikes against us: She is at multiple enviroments throughout the day, a SDC preschool, then transported to Montessori for after care, and several days a week is taken in the afternoons to ST, PT, OT. So really can't do the every half hour thing. And the public preschool isnt designed for 1/2 hour potty breaks.

She will sit on the potty for about 5 minutes at a time, or longer if her twin is also on the potty (twin "reads" to C, its very cute). I try very hard on the weekends to do every half hour to 45 minutes. I have bought underwear that has her favorite charachters (found some girl one with Lightening Mc Queen and she grabed them and said "mine, mine, mine") and wants to wear them. I put them on under a pull up for the sensation, but wet or poopy diaper has never bothered her. She knows the sign for potty, but rarely uses it and that is often after the fact.

Do I continue to just go with the flow? It doesnt seem to make sense to push a kid to PT who isnt developmentaly ready, even though she will be four in 3 months.

Any insights would be very helpful,

Di

[trek]

I was in similar situation 2x with my both my boys. My younger ds Holt did not train for #1 until his 5th b'day and he will be 6 next month. I found VISUAL schedule to help but hoenstly what worked was to spend an entire weekend in the bathroom-literally. My wonderful dh took that on he was able to get Holt started. There were accidents and it took awhile for him to get #2 down-he still r fuses to wipe but that is sensory driven. In fact most of Holt's issues were sensory derived when it came to using the toilet. The sound, the feel of underwear over pull-ups, the sound of a toilet flushing, the feel of the toilet seat, the lighting.

I was at my wits ends since Holt was denied entry into any type of "mainstream" classroom unless he could go #1 in the toilet. Rewarding helped as well and was every attempt and not just success that motivated him but what motivated him changed daily
I came close to spending $2500 on toileting training at Emory Autism Center in Atlanta, GA but the program was explained I told my dh that we could attempt it before shelling out $. I chose dh since he is less emotionally swayed.

Ask any questions,
Wendy

[NancyR]

My only suggestion is while at home to have a little box of "potty" only toys and books to play with while waiting for "the urge." Keeps her sitting a little longer, without getting too bored.

While out and about I also carried a "potette" in my bag at all times till dd was about 6 or so, to help when she had an immediate urge to go. It's lightweight, folds compactly, and you put a plastic bag in to catch the pee. I'd have the bag in it ready to unfold and place under her butt at a second's notice. Worked great!

Is there an extended period of time when your dd doesn't have all the activities, and you can dedicate a week to PTing her? Over the holidays maybe?

My dd has CP and for us, it really was a switch that just went on at 3 (for both day and night). I frankly wasn't even worried about PTing, I was just praying she would walk (which she did at 2.5). What I have found is that when she gets the urge to go, she has to go immediately. She can't hold it in for a long time. So at 8, we do come very close to accidents, however, it's usually when I can't get her to a bathroom soon enough. Our way of coping is that whenever we leave a place, the "rule" is she has to try to pee first. Otherwise, she ends up peeing on the side of a NYC street in between 2 parked cars, lol.... I expect modesty is a significant factor for us!

HTH! N

[smf3]

My dd (high functioning autism...she's now 7) I thought would never potty train! She 'got it' about 3 weeks before her 4th birthday. Literally she just started going on the toilet (this was after almost 2 years of trying to get her potty traiined). She didn't care if she was wet, didn't care if there was poop in her undies...if she DID care, she'd take them off and i'd catch her streaking through the house. It was an exasperating time! I cleaned up a LOT of poop and pee and was thanking God above we didn't have carpeting! We tried every bribe, reward, you name it. She still has some issues in that area (waiting too long to go...fear of auto sensor toilets) but I'm telling you it was like it just clicked one day.
Don't know that this helps at all but I can offer that we've BTDT!
(((Hugs))) and good luck!
Shawna

[angeleena]

I would not push. I think it is a developmental thing and when she is ready it will click. Lots of kids do not pt til 4 or later.
I remember those days though...my girl was hard to pt too...i think at age 3 or 3.5 she got it though.
I carried around a van potty in case we were in the van on a trip or somewhere where there was no restroom. Or, if the bathrooms had auto-flush....that would make her run screaming out of the bathroom with her pants down!

Angi

[dlp]

Thanks ladies. I wish we had a couple of weeks of nothing (no daycare, no therapy, no Special day class, no work) But as we all know there is always something. I am a single working mom and its a little crazy sometimes. Sometimes I am grateful my shoes match, LOL.

I will definitely get a box for the bathroom with a few special toys\books. But her sister is a such a little miss grabby!!!

I was looking on an Apraxia bb and seems as of potty triainng is a universal problem.