Toilet training a child with severe autism is kicking my ass.
I’ve said it.
This isn't our first time trying to toilet train Brantley - and while the memories of our previous attempt 5 years ago still haunt me - I was ready to face the challenge again. I thought he was ready.
We're six days into our routine of 10 minutes on the toilet and 10 minutes off the toilet, rewarding Brantley with mini Oreos for successful attempts. However, there's a snag. Brantley's clever.
He has figured out that more peeing equals more Oreos. His solution? Releasing just enough urine to earn a treat, then repeating the cycle. Sometimes, managing to go four or five times within a 10-minute span.
We have pivoted to only provide Oreos for the first void of each time on the toilet and verbal praise for the rest, but it is not helping his frequency.
In fact, the first day of our plan he peed 20 times in 10 hours of taking data. Yesterday, that number was up to 47. Yes, 47. Brantley peed 47 times in only 10 hours of data.
This tactic is wearing on us all and Brantley is growing more frustrated with the process with each bathroom trip.
My generally happy boy’s inclination to bite caregivers and display aggression is rising. It's reached a point where he's not just biting us but also himself, logging a concerning 25 self-inflicted bites in just three hours yesterday.
I don’t want to give up.
I so desperately want to free Brantley of the diapers he despises so much.
I don’t want to let Autism win.
But, I also, don’t know if we can continue this.
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