The Autism Home Page

Toilet Training Internet Resources:

Dr. Phil rips off Azrin & Foxx's title to their book but adds a really cool doll and a potty party to the mix! It actually is a very good method.

Dr. Phil's Method and Potty Training Dolls

If you saw Dr. Phil's TV special on Potty Training, you know that the method is all fun and it works quite well. On this site you can order the dolls he used and read about his method.

The Childhood Learning Center

How to Conduct Toilet Training by Bobby Newman, Ph.D. A good, brief summary of tips.

The Center for the Study of Autism - Temple Grandin Answers: "How do I toilet train my autistic child?"

"There are two major causes of toilet training problems in children with autism. They are either afraid of the toilet or they do not know what they are supposed to do. Children with severe hearing sensitivity may be terrified of the toilet flushing. The sound may hurt their ears. Sometimes these children can learn if they use a potty chair which is located away from the frightening toilet. Due to the great variability of sensory problems, some children may like to repeatedly flush the toilet but they are still not trained. The thinking of some autistic children is so concrete that the only way they can learn is to have an adult demonstrate to them how to use the toilet. They have to see someone else do it in order to learn. Some children with very severe sensory processing problems are not able to accurately sense when they need to use the bathroom. If they are calm they may be able to feel the sensation that they need to urinate or defecate, but if they experience sensory overload they cannot feel it. This may explain why a child will sometimes use the toilet correctly, and other times he will not."

TEACCH - Applying Structured Teaching Principles to Toilet Training

A wonderfully complete web site with information about why toileting may be difficult for children with autism/PDD-NOS, a good readiness checklist, a 7-day chart for tracking toileting habits, information on planning your toilet training "journey", a great picture schedule for children, a great task analysis of the toilet training procedure, and a trouble shooting guide for toileting problems. This is a must-visit web site for parents of children with autism/PDD-NOS. Don't miss their book recommendations.

Toilet Training Made Semi-Easy - An Article by Kent Moreno

A quickie overview of toilet training procedures for children with a developmental disability. Discusses a "trip training" method that has good success.

University of Iowa - UHS Care Bulletin - Encopresis

A great article that discusses when a toileting problem may be a serious medical problem.

Future Horizons - Books

Order Maria Wheeler's Book: Toilet Training for Persons with Autism and Related Disorders.
TinkleToonz: TinkleToonz sells a musical potty chair. It may be useful for many kids but TinkleToonz said it was not as effective for kids with autism for some reason. However, this site is dedicated to kids with special needs and recommends an ingenious method of placing the sensor (that plays music) right in the training pants! That way you know immediately when that first drop hits! I highly recommend these folks - they truly love our kids. Caution! The music on the site will drive you nuts! If you are at work, mute your audio now!

PottyTrainingStuff.com

All things potty training! From advice to musical potties, to Sponge Bob potties, to potty training videos, to personalized potty training charts, to mattress alarms, and even more.
Pampers - Toilet Training 101: Good general information on toilet training from people who really don't want your child to give up diapers but want to pretend they do.

Toilet Training Internet Resources:

Please send questions, comments, & suggestions to: Gary J. Heffner.