Building Tolerance to the Toilet

Sometimes children with special needs have a fear of going to the toilet. To overcome this, we can start by building their tolerance to the toilet near the toilet door. Here is how: 

If your house has more than one toilet, choose one toilet to work on. Choose play activities that your child enjoys and play with your child at a distance from the toilet where your child appears calm and shows no sign of anxiety.

Start with one activity and keep it fun and successful. Then, end the play and praise your child for being brave and fun. Repeat this a few times during the day with different kinds of play (or even the same one) at the same spot.  Keep the play relaxing, fun, and with no demands. So, do not teach during playtime.

When your child appears relaxed playing at the targeted spot, take a step closer to the toilet with the play activity. If your child shows resistance, then try a smaller step. Reassure your child by calmly telling your child that it’s ok, and then continue to focus on play. Stay at that distance for the next few practices. Move closer only when the child appears relaxed and calm. 

Once the child is comfortable in the toilet, increase the fun level in the activities that you choose for him/her. Tips: Keep the activity available only in the toilet throughout the practice. 

The next step is to familiarize to sitting on the toilet. You can use a timer and start with a very short duration of time on the toilet, e.g. 2 seconds, then he can get his favorite book. Gradually build up the timing and keep your child occupied with a favourite activity of his while he’s on the toilet.

When your child is able to sit on the toilet for up to 5 minutes, then we are ready to the next step of toilet training!

Written & illustrated by, 

Lee Yu Ying

Consultant, EAP Malaysia