My son is 4 and we have tried potty training but my son doesn’t seem interested much at all he will pee in the potty sometimes but other times he pees in his underwear I’m at a loss on what to do since he has to start school next august he pees and poops in his underwear please I need some advice on what to do? He has level 1 and level 2 autism
9 Likes
Make it fun. Be consistent
Sit him infront of the t.v. on a training potty with some snacks and drinks . Make him stay there until he succeeds. Reward success and be persistant. He will figure out it doesnt feel right going in his undies .
We always did stickers to keep track. We also brought colouring book and colouring stuff to sit on the potty for a little bit.
 Making it fun and being consistent but not all kids are ready at 3 or 4 years old…
1 Like
My son will be 5 in December and is not potty trained at all. He says he is scared of the toilet and isn’t the least bit interested in it. Rewards, bribes, and consistency doesn’t do anything. He is getting evaluated, I have 4 children and I never had problem until him. I don’t force it, I ask every now and then hoping something will click and he will say yes. But it’s too stressful for him and myself to push it. Best of luck
My son is ASD and we used the book Potty Training in 3 days when he was 3.5 and it worked for him.
He is very reward oriented now (7) but he wasn’t at that age so the reward chart didn’t work.
Autistic children don’t learn at the same pace as other children. I work in a special needs school and we have several Autistic children who aren’t fully potty trained.
Once my son started school he just learned from the other kids
Maybe use a tablet only as a reward for going potty.
Have you tried putting a ping pong ball into the toilet bowl and asking him to pee on it and try and make it sink, 
Mine didn’t want to till she was 5 and then when she finally did she never went back lol
My boys stayed naked 
lol I made sure to ask frequently if they needed to go especially after eating and drinking. When I noticed they were going I basically grabbed them and rushed them to the toilet 
I made sure to also say that they were going potty and which one they were doing. I made sure I had a step stool and a seat that went over the toilet. My 2nd did not like pooping. He was nervous but I would sit with him and comfort him through it and we eventually made a breakthrough. I hope you find a way that works for you and your son 
best of luck!
1 Like
I hate to be that person but him having autism could very well delay potty training by quite a bit. Don’t overwhelm him or yourself mama. If he’s not ready he’s not ready. You can’t force him to be.
2 Likes
I’m in the same boat so following for tips too.
My son has help from early childhood development where they come to to the home weekly. And they STILL WANT PARENTS to try the potty for kids. Soo no we won’t just stop introducing it. We have people counting on us too.
Some kids just take a bit longer. My little boy potty trained near 4-4.5 We tried EVERY THING. He wouldn’t do it. Fought. Didn’t seem interested.
He woke up 1 day around 4 and said he was going potty. Never had an accident since that day.
Things we tried:
Food coloring in the toilet bowl so when he peed it changed colors
Sinking fruitloops and cheerios.
Sitting backwards so he could draw on the lid with expo markers
A treasure box of rewards.
Singing. Clapping. Reading books about it.
He did it when he was ready! Good luck
3 Likes
We read books on the potty listened to potty music and audio books. We finally went to occupational therapy she gave us some exercises to do. It took a long time because he wasnt getting the signas from his body to his brain to go to the bathroom. Its a long haul. Just keep at it.
Did they actually diagnose autism through the right genetic testing or just by visual and occupational assessment bcuz my daughter was originally diagnosed as autistic but turns out she doesn’t carry the autism gene at all but what she actually has is called global developmental delay and even though she is 15 now she still has to wear pull ups bcuz she just can’t fully grasp potty training she is physically 15 but mentally forever between 2-4yrs old
1 Like
My son was born dislexic, he started potty training late, a pediatrician said I must start a chart, every time he goes potty, he gets a golden star, if he does nr 2 in the potty he gets 2 stars, if he has an accident he gets a black star, also, he puts up the stars himself, it really helped
We were able to finally make it stick with our ASD four year old by taking him every 45 minutes and using the phone as a reinforcer. Stickers and token boards did not work for him at that age.
1 Like
It may need to be made into something fun… have you used Cheerios to have him try to pee on them… like he is shooting them to sink em…
1 Like
As far as the poop make sure he’s not lactose intolerant. Made that mistake with our middle, she wasn’t completely potty trained until after school started because we had no idea. Once we cut milk and dairy out we knew. Good luck!!
Instant rewards for when he goes. Like a basket of dollar store toys or a small container of favorite candy. Bigger ticket items for going #2.
That said, he may not be ready. I have an autistic 4.5 year old who is NO where close to being potty trained. But he has an IEP at school (pre-k) and even if he is not potty trained by next year, they still have to take him because of IEP. He currently spends 80% of his time at school in a self contained classrooms and special Ed teacher. The other 20% is for socialization time and specials with one of the pre-K classes.
1 Like
Autistic children learn differently and have special needs. It is quite common for an autistic child to not be potty trained at 4 and it could take until a much older age. Visual supports that number, describe and sequence each step can be very helpful. Try going over each step with your child often both on and off the toilet. Don’t try to teach your child by leaving them in wet or soiled underwear. Autistic children often have sensory issues and this will likely cause them anxiety and stress and make things harder.
5 Likes
I potty trained my son outside to pee it was so easy he was two and a half
2 Likes
We used to take ours every 45min and when they went they’d get 2 m-n-ms for peeing and 4 m-n-ms for pooping in the potty
He obviously not ready not all children are ready by a certain age and the fact he has autism might delay that as well all you can do it keep training until he is ready could take weeks months or longer maybe speak to a docter as well
8 Likes
Do you let him wear the pissy underwear ? The poopy underwear ? He won’t like the way it feels so try that . 
My great-nephew will be 4 in 4mths. He’ll pee on potty but will only poop in a diaper, he’ll tell you, I’ve got to poop put on a diaper, we’ve tried everything. Nothing works, hes says he’s afraid to go on potty, but pees all day on it. Boys seem to be a lot harder to fully potty train then girls, I know your frustration, good luck.
He’s not ready…so stop.
Had to naked potty train. In underwear she forgot.
My sisters daughter was like this. Sometimes she would hide and do it. My sister was freaking out because school was about to start. My stepmom said send her and let her she won’t do it again and that’s exactly what’s happened. Her first day at school she peed in her pants and after that never did it again. Also the teachers usually take them to the restroom very 30 minutes to an hour to make sure they don’t have accidents. If he sees other kids doing it he will too. If the teachers know of his disability they will help in the potty training process and reminding him. Just let the teachers and the school know
3 Likes
create a schedule where he has to sit on the potty. Use a timer for every 10 minutes. Have him sit for 3. Provide something that he loves but can only have access to after sitting on the toilet. Once he starts producing he only gets (tablet time or m&ms for example) when he uses the toilet. Once he doesn’t have accidents add more time in between bathroom trips. Try to get him to say “potty” on the way to the bathroom each time. Use lots of excitement and praise ( if he likes attention). Good luck!
See if you can start IEP process immediately upon registration. Have added in there something about the bathroom if he hasn’t made any progress. 15 minutes after meals take him to sit on potty. It can be more difficult for neurodiverse children to get the hang of it but he’ll get there in his own time.
Change the pull ups out for training underwear and rubber pants. The pull ups act like a diaper and pull moisture away keeping them comfortable. The training pants will feel wet and uncomfortable. Don’t change the wet pants right away, let him tell you he is wet and wants changed.
2 Likes
This is a behavior seen in alot of of autistic children. They just don’t grasp this. Taking them frequently and just asking them to try. Please don’t overwhelm yourself or child. Schools are trained for this all through the school years. I have also seen severe trauma induced by self flushing toilets. Children that are terrified to use restroom in public spaces for fear the toilet will flush. Slow and easy gets you there too.
Mine has ASD and is almost 5. Also not interested in potty training whatsoever