Expert: Catherine Ridenour - 11/12/2005

Question
my daughter is 2yrs and 10 months old...she has been recently diagnosed by a psychologist as having mild autism. i'm not exactly sure what "mild autism" really means but my question is in the subject of toilet training. my daughter also has a twin brother who does not have autism and has begun to toilet train...how difficult would it be to try and train her and what would be the best way of going about it?

Answer
Hi Nicole,

A "mildly autistic" child should be able to toilet train in the same way as any other child.  Be patient and consistent, don't punish accidents and you'll get there in time.

She may need more instruction in knowing when and where to tell you her needs and it may take her longer to figure out when is soon enough.  Remember, there are 3 things a child has to have control of to be successful at toileting.  They have to know how to hold it back, how to let it go and when to head for the bathroom to be in time.  All of these skills don't always happen at the same time.

Now, you need much more information about autism, I think.  So, I've included some web links where you can go look up the topic.  Read all you can and try to find some parents of children like your daughter.  They can offer a great deal of support.

Also, as you search for information, be aware that people are out there promising "cures" and making money off of desparate parents.  There is, as yet, no cure.  There ARE very effective educational interventions and she should begin to receive speech and occupational therapy right away.

Don't blame yourself for your daughter's condition.  Autism is not caused by vaccinations, child abuse or birth events.  It is most likely a unique combinations of genes as yet to be identified.

If we had been aware of Asperger's Syndrome and mild autism 50 years ago, Einstein and Edison would most certainly have qualified.  So, your daughter may have a bright future.

Our 20 year old daughter is a junior at a University majoring in flute performance.  She maintains a B average and lives in her own apartment and manages her own money.  I dare say few of her teachers would have predicted such success when she was 13.

Here are those links:

http://www.patientcenters.com/autism/news/resources.html

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/asperger.htm

http://www.autism.org/temple/meds.html

http://www.autism.org/

Best wishes,
Catherine