Potty Training for the Special Child
Many mothers will profess how hard it is to potty train a toddler. A mother with a child who has special needs have it harder. A child with special needs is a challenge. Every parent wants to promote as much independence as possible so that they can fend for themselves. A special child may have different developmental levels thus making it harder for them to adjust to potty training.
You can expect that every child will learn to control their bladder first before bowel movement, special children included. In this sense, potty training [http://allaboutbabiessite.com/potty-training-tips/] a child with special needs is no different from training a toddler who is normal.
As soon as your child learns how to walk, look for small indicators for his readiness for potty training. When a child starts coming to you for changes, praise him and let him help you change his diapers and pants. If he can tell you that he needs to pee or poo, then he understands that he needs to be clean at all times. A child who stays dry for long periods is more than ready for training. If he likes to follow you around when you go to the bathroom when you need to relieve yourself and enjoys imitating you, then it would be best to have the potty beside the grown-up toilet. Here, you can perform role-playing and encouraging him to "practice". You can stop practicing when your child can relieve himself without your help. In order to help your child stay put while in the potty, you can bring his favorite book to read. A book on successful potty training will make the session fun.
If he has any accidents during training, then change him immediately. Be sympathetic and tell him he will do better next time. Never scold or punish him, otherwise he might regress.
A special child needs more encouragement than an ordinary one since they have very delicate emotions. It is imperative that you never give up or show him your frustration. As the primary caregiver, you are his role-model in life. Setting a good example will serve as a foundation in toilet training and life.
You can expect that every child will learn to control their bladder first before bowel movement, special children included. In this sense, potty training [http://allaboutbabiessite.com/potty-training-tips/] a child with special needs is no different from training a toddler who is normal.
As soon as your child learns how to walk, look for small indicators for his readiness for potty training. When a child starts coming to you for changes, praise him and let him help you change his diapers and pants. If he can tell you that he needs to pee or poo, then he understands that he needs to be clean at all times. A child who stays dry for long periods is more than ready for training. If he likes to follow you around when you go to the bathroom when you need to relieve yourself and enjoys imitating you, then it would be best to have the potty beside the grown-up toilet. Here, you can perform role-playing and encouraging him to "practice". You can stop practicing when your child can relieve himself without your help. In order to help your child stay put while in the potty, you can bring his favorite book to read. A book on successful potty training will make the session fun.
If he has any accidents during training, then change him immediately. Be sympathetic and tell him he will do better next time. Never scold or punish him, otherwise he might regress.
A special child needs more encouragement than an ordinary one since they have very delicate emotions. It is imperative that you never give up or show him your frustration. As the primary caregiver, you are his role-model in life. Setting a good example will serve as a foundation in toilet training and life.