Potty Training a child with Apraxia

[shell5403]

I need some advice. Here is my situation:

My son just turn 4 yesterday, and he is not even close to being potty trained. My son also has speech apraxia.

He does have an older brother who has tried to help, but that didn't work. He does know where mommy,daddy, and big brother go to potty and know where he "should" go. One day I tried the just shirt method and that went horrible. He can tell me when he is poopy and needs to be changed. 

I believe the reason why he doesn't want to sit on the toliet or potty chair is because he know mommy will change his diaper, and its just easier for him to go in a diaper than to try to get potty trained. I have tried SO many things: reward system, timer, shirt only method...etc

I also have a 7month old as well, I understand why I need to change his diaper, but almost everytime I change my now 4yr old diaper I get irriated, because I think he should already be potty trained.

I would really like some nice feedback, advice, suggestions, ANYTHING!

Thanks

[chefsparklez]

I wish I had some advice for you! My son is 2 1/2. My two older daughters started training around 2-2 1/2 and were completely trained before their 3rd birthdays. I've introduced the potty to him he knows you have to sit there, flush, wash hands, etc, but he has no interest in actually doing anything IN the potty. I am trying not to rush him or make it something to focus on. I don't think he is ready yet. 

I had a boss whose son was not fully potty trained until after 4 years old. He had no developmental problems, he just wouldn't poop in the potty. 

Have you talked to his doc about it? I hope there is someone who can give you some tips. I might need them myself later down the road! :o)

[music4me]

Is apraxia the only thing he's dealing with? I have a 6 year old who is both apraxic and SPD. She is starting to develop interest in using the potty this school year. Up to this year, she could repeat the steps verbally and go through the motions of using the potty, but I don't believe she fully undertood what the true expectation was. There are some nice books about training a child with developmental delay. Those would be a good resource.

[eema.gray]

My son has apraxia.  He's three years old and about 80% potty trained.  We've been working on it for about 10 months.

I started out telling him to go to the bathroom door and pounding on it when he needed to go.  That worked, most of the time, for pee.  Poop, he either went on the floor (yes, I've an enormous carpet cleaning bill) or in a diaper.  Just this past week, he's started using a potty for poop as well as pee.  Even though we've got consistent not needing a diaper, we still have to shift him from using a potty pot to the toilet.

I think, if you can figure out non verbal signals that both you and he understand, it can be done.  But also, remember that boys tend to potty train later than girls.  

[Mipsy]

Try sign language. That's done pretty well for my son. You can look up the signs easily for pee, poop, potty, and toilet. :)

[Noahs-Mom]

I hear ya Momma- 

My oldest son is 4yo and just now starting. One day when I knew he was on vacvation from school he took his diaper off.... I said to him.... Ok no more diapers. 

I held to it. No more diapers during the day. If he accidents HE has to clean it up. He will go one his own on the potty and flush. Now I have to work on washing his hands after.

Try a photo of the potty.  

Another Mom suggested a photo book

step 1 turn on light

ect. 

Noah's biggest issue is he WILL NOT go potty if he is not at home. 

[annaica]

The apraxia of speech should have absolutely nothing to do with going potty. Unless he has lower extremity apraxia. Anyways listen. Make him go naked a few days. It is warm enough out. He will gain confidence in what he has to do. It is natural. It took my son a week but my son was 3. Yours should learn even faster. I am telling you he can't be babied. Take all his pullups away except at night for 3 or 4 days. See if it works! Don't give in!!!!!

[Ceetam]

Hi, I'm a Mom of 3 girls,  the youngest who is 6.  It took a long time to potty train my youngest daughter.  She just didn't seem to get the signals her body was telling her that she had to go.  It took a lot of patience and trial and error.  Visual learning was her way to learn.  We have pictures of even leading up to the toilet, sitting, wiping, flushing and washing hands....all in pictures to help her. 

She finally potty-trained at 31/2 yrs, but it took 11/2 yrs to finally get her there.  She really didn't like to poop on the potty (still haven't figured out why).  But at 5, I thought I had a regression on my hands.  I picked her up at daycare...soaked.   She'd go out to play...soaked.  My neighbor watched her one day, she did it on purpose and watched her pants get wet.  My girl was doing her own science experiments!  I finally told her that if she kept it up...she wouldn't be allowed out to play.  And she LOVES the outdoors!

Since then...no problems, no bed wetting either....It feels so great when they accomplish it!!!

Hang in there!