How to Go About Toilet Training Special Needs Children

Toilet training forms a very important part in any child's growth and development. While most of the parents complain about potty training their children, on an average children train pretty easily. Even in cases where there is resistance from the child, eventually they do get trained though it may take some time and extra patience from the parents.

This is not the case with toilet training special needs children. Parents of these children find it way too difficult to toilet train children who suffer from mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, autism, etc. These children are not intellectually equipped to grasp the meaning and are not psychologically ready for any kind of training at the age of two or three like the normal children. It is necessary to keep the child's development level of the mind as a yardstick and not his chronological age when you have are toilet training special needs children.

You will have to be constantly on the watch for signs of recognition, understanding simple instructions, co operation, feeling uncomfortable when they are wet, recognizing full bladder and the need to go to the toilet, asking to use the potty chair, etc.

The child should also be in a position to partially undress or dress by himself or herself. In some cases of physical disability, you may have to design a special potty chair for them to facilitate usage on their own. Toilet training special needs children is therefore a very delicate issue which has to be handled with a lot more patience and perseverance than it is with normal children.

As with the normal children or even more so, you will have to avoid trying to toilet train disabled children during any period of stress in the family. This includes times when you are shifting your residence, when there is a wedding or a function in your family, when there is a new baby in the family, etc. Never make the mistake of punishing or admonishing the child in case of accidents. On the contrary we must make sure to praise and encourage the child when he successfully uses the toilet or the potty chair.

Just as in normal children it is better to go slow when the special needs child shows resistance to toilet training. You have to be patient and create a consistent routine of making him or her sit on the potty chair whenever you see signs of the need to urinate or feel any bowel movements. Making the potty chair attractive with stickers helps.

Toilet training special needs children also require taking them to the toilet or making them sit on the potty chair frequently. If there is resistance from the child then you must make sure to reduce the frequency and take him after meals and snacks and at times you think he goes on a regular basis.

You have to be especially more tolerant and patient while toilet training special needs children. Even after they are completely trained they may have relapses and this is when you have to deal with the situation in a calm and casual manner. If you scold them, punish them or reprimand them they tend to relapse further due to anxiety.