April is Autism Acceptance Month. One of the common challenges for children who are on the autism spectrum is that they deal with issues with incontinence. Apart from offering the best incontinence products on the market today, we wanted to provide some different tips and tricks for parents looking to help their child who is struggling with incontinence and autism.
Pay Attention to Social Distractions
Autism can delay the speed at which a child is able to be properly toilet trained. It’s also possible that a child with autism may struggle to properly communicate when they need to visit the restroom, which can lead to accidents. Kids have a lot of distractions. And whether it be a video game or a television program, children with autism will often be distracted by stimulating activities, which causes them to not notice the urge to visit the restroom. The good news for parents is that children who simply don’t take the necessary steps when they have the urge to urinate or defecate have what is called functional incontinence. Involuntary incontinence is much more difficult to overcome.
Try a Reward System
The best thing a parent can do for their child that is struggling with incontinence and autism is to be supportive. It’s no one’s fault and it’s certainly not something that a child should be punished for. Parents need to stay patient and offer reassurance while teaching their children.
One of the best teaching tools for children with incontinence and autism is often a reward system of sorts. Resistance to changing patterns is typical for autistic children. Every parent should look to personalize the rewards to their child’s interests. Earning enough stickers or stamps can win a special prize or privilege and encourage desired behaviors. The more rewards offered, the fewer home delivery for incontinence supplies orders should be needed down the road for a child with autism and incontinence.
Be Prepared with Enough Incontinence Supplies
Every parent should help their child with incontinence and autism by staying prepared. This means having a game plan for every event. Whether it’s traveling on a vacation or just heading to a playground, a parent should have plenty of incontinence products with them. Another way to stay prepared is to take note of normal bathroom routines. Routines can help reduce the number of accidents as a parent can ask their child to try the bathroom during defined time periods. Sometimes, all it takes is reminding a child that their activity will be there when they get back to remove them from the activity and have them visit the bathroom.
Take Note of Sensory Triggers
Every bathroom trip can come with sensory triggers for children with autism. Parents should take the time to notice things like how loud the toilet flushes and how that could impact their child’s behavior. Something as simple as adjusting the brightness of the lights in the room may make the bathroom a more comfortable place for a child with incontinence and autism.
Prioritize Diet and Exercise
Finally, there are exercise and dietary steps that can be taken, which can help children with autism and incontinence. Diet will go a long way toward keeping a child’s movements in a routine. The more a child can stick with a routine, the more likely they are to avoid accidents and utilize fewer incontinence supplies over time.
At least thirty minutes of exercise can help decrease stereotypical behaviors and aggression for children on the autism spectrum. Exercise can help autistic children engage in the environment and promote better overall health.
For questions about any of the incontinence products or any of the other medical supplies we offer at Personally Delivered, please contact us, and one of our friendly Personally Delivered Product Experts are happy to help.
Popular Youth Incontinence Products
Since children with a disability such as autism may be distracted easily and for longer periods of time, they may “forget” to use the bathroom. Because of their delayed speech and language development, they often are unable to effectively communicate their need to voluntarily void. With the many challenges that children face with autism, it is easy to understand that incontinence can be one of them.
Traveling with an autistic child that has incontinence doesn’t have to be a difficult process if you plan well in advance for the unexpected. Make sure you take plenty of pictures to capture the entire experience so your child can reflect back and observe how well they managed on your travels together. Remember to be flexible and stay positive so everyone can have a great trip.
