Caregivers

Understanding how toileting skills develop and why toilet training is important helps us to make sense of the toilet training process. This module provides foundational information on toileting, including why autistic children may experience difficulties with toilet training.

• What toilet training is, and why it is important
• Developmental milestones in toileting
• Toileting in autistic children

Preparing for toilet training before you begin will make training easier, and increase the likelihood of success. This module outlines how to plan and prepare for training, including the equipment you will need and ways to support your child’s understanding of the toileting process.

• When to begin toilet training and selecting equipment
• The toileting area and sensory sensitivities
• Encouraging your child’s readiness for toilet training

For some children, standard toilet training techniques may not be sufficient, and additional strategies are required to achieve toileting independence. This module discusses practical strategies to support your child’s toileting, including how to break tasks into manageable steps, and the use of visual supports and rewards.

• Step-by-step teaching
• Prompting
• Visual supports: Visual prompts, video modelling and social stories
• The use of rewards

This module provides procedural guidance for a gradual approach to toilet training. A gradual approach means that you follow your child’s cues to progress through the toileting stages. In particular, this module focusses on teaching your child to sit on the toilet/potty.

• Toilet training: Toilet/potty sits
• Stages of independence with toilet/potty sits
• Key toileting times
• Getting out and about and managing accidents

This module provides procedural guidance for an intensive method of toilet training. An intensive method involves a series of days devoted to concentrated training. This module includes a structure and schedule to follow to increase in-toilet/potty voiding.

• Preparation and equipment
• The intensive toilet training procedure

Toilet training is a journey with many ups and downs. This module provides information relating to common challenges that you may encounter and possible solutions. This module also discusses how to encourage in-toilet defecation.

• Managing setbacks and other challenges
• Night-time urinary continence
• Encouraging in-toilet defecation