by Lisa Doherty

Created on: June 16, 2009   Last Updated: June 22, 2009

Most experts agree that potty training a child, even a child with special needs, can often occur between the ages of 18-36 months. While this is an estimate, most parents know their child better than any expert and finding the time when your child is ready for this kind of independence will be essential.

While special needs children are often categorized into a different category, this really is not the fact. They still go through many of the same stages of resistance and frustration as children without special needs. Watching for the signs and signals that indicate readiness is key, no matter on what developmental level the child functions. Experts agree that the following are good indications that your child is ready for the potty.

ENVIRONMENT: Make sure that the environment is conducive for the undertaking. While training any child depends on finding their schedule and coordinating it with your own, this is twice as important with a special needs child. Many special needs children are dependent on routine, as it makes them feel safe. Adhering to this will continue to make your environment a place where they feel they can venture out into this very important area of independence.

MOTOR SKILLS: If your child is able to do simple skills such as dress or undress, pick up toys, or sit by him or herself, they might be ready to train. Until they have mastered some fine motor skills, it might be too frustrating to attempt this. Sitting alone is also an important skill, since falling might become a safety issue and further delay the training process.

LANGUAGE: If your child has mastered enough vocabulary to have words for bodily functions, it might be time to train. If he or she is letting you know verbally that discomfort is felt, then training will be shortly behind. If there is no language ability, but you have signals in place or they demonstrate that they are uncomfortable, this still counts. Understanding that they are wet or soiled and communicating this to you on some level will still indicate readiness to attempt the task.

PRAISE: Most children thrive on praise and seek it in almost every facet of daily life. This is also true of the special needs child. Praising them for an attempt, even a failed one, will encourage them and provide the safety and security to make mistakes. Make sure that you understand that your frustration at a failed attempt could translate to your child as disappointment, which they could internalize as disappointment

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