Toilet Training for Individuals with Autism or Other Developmental Issues

by Maria Wheeler, Carol Stock Kranowitz (Foreword)

Toilet training can be a battleground for parents and children. In this book―the only one on the market dealing with the specific issues involved in toilet training children with autism―Maria Wheeler offers a detailed roadmap for success, based on over twenty years of experience. Easy-to-read bulleted lists offer over 200 do’s and don’ts presented, along with more than fifty real-life examples. Learn, among other things, how to gauge “readiness,” overcome fear of the bathroom, teach how to use toilet paper, flush and wash up, and deal with toileting in unfamiliar environments. A life preserver for parents and reluctant children! Helpful chapters

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Parenting, Nonfiction

133 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Gemma]

I sure wish I'd found this book a couple of years ago! So many helpful strategies. I'd recommend this for a parent of a child with any delays, even those not related to Autism.

My son finally trained at 4.5 years old. Reading this book made me feel not so bad about it--there were real case studies of children as old as 11 still not being toilet trained! It was such a relief just to know that I wasn't alone, and that there were strategies to help.

[Teresa Locklear]

I thought this was a very practical book and full of great ideas. While my son doesn't have autism he does have some delays. This book gave me some great ideas that I could easily put into practice. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a child that has delays because it could definately help them.

[Amanda]

A lot of good information that I have been implementing with my son and seeing success with. I was surprised how some of the things we thought were helping were actually hindering our progress. Overall very informative. Would have given 5 stars if she had used identity-first language as opposed to person-first language in the text.

[Nicholas Sedillos]

The techniques presented here seem solid and gave me confidence, though my children don't have autism so I can't speak to that issue. The prose is very wordy and clinical, and overall the book seems a bit longer than it needs to be.

[Laura C]

The best book I have read so far on the topic of toilet training. I like that the author seems to understand autistic kids and that she wrote this book to include non-verbal children. It was easy to understand, to the point, informative and I actually enjoyed reading it. I highly recommend.

[Parisa Rahman]

good resource

Well written and organized, thorough approach to teaching toileting to those who may require a bit more help. Looking forward to trying these strategies soon!

[Melyssa Grant]

A great resource for parents of children with autism to help teach how to potty train.

[Andrew Somers]

Some good tips but somewhat ABA-ish. I'll revise if it ends up working well!

[Rachel Sours]

This book was too basic for me. It brought up using visual cues but at no point gave any examples or suggestions on seeking these out. sure, I can look these up online but it just felt too passive. I only took a couple pointers from it as everything was basic potty training skills. If you have a sensory sensitive child I feel that you would already have systems in place for those issues once your child is of potty training age.

[Rosemary]

This book is written in a clear and straightforward style and is neatly structured without repetition. In style it is far superior to "Ready, Set, Potty!" by Brenda Batts, but is not quite as creative as "Ready, Set, Potty!" in the strategies it puts forward.

[Irene]

This book was a little disappointing. It was nothing I didn't already know, very much common sense.

[Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley Family Resource Lending Library]

One of our most popular books, usually checked out so if interested please speak with a staff member in the library!