Almost 7 Year Old Still Is Not Totaly Potty Trianed.

I'm wondering if the behavior issues don't stem from her embarassment of the accidents which she hides by acting out.

I've known of children who had accidents until 8 and finally got relief from a chiropractor. If the nerve that runs through the sacrum (sp?) is in a bind it won't hurt but can cause loss of sensation to the bladder and bowels.

If you are in the Abilene area I can refer you to a great chiro.

Other wise, you might suggest discussing this with her regular doctor. There are lots of medical issues that can cause this.

If all medical issues are ruled out, then you start on the behavior. This is not something that is "normal" and she may need professional help. Has she ever been abused? This is acutally a tell-tale sign of that as well.

Good Luck to your friend and mostly to the little girl!

This child needs help, not discipline. My son had a bowel blockage that caused his rectum to stay open... like he was about to poop. He didn't feel the urge to go because the blockage caused the other bowel movements to go around and he constantly pooped in his pants at school and I would have to go pick him up, bring him home, clean him, and return him to school. An x-ray revealed the blockage and the issue is now resolved. Wetting her pants could mean a bladder or urinary tract infection. Suggest to your friend that she check out medical causes first.

IHMO this isn't a discipline or behavior problem - it's likely a health issue. The girl may have both urinary and fecal incontinence due to a physical problem, which absolutely should be ruled out before this is handled as a behavioral problem. The girl may be acting out because her health issue isn't being addressed (i.e., she's hiding the evidence BECAUSE this has been treated as discipline problem rather than someone trying to identify an underlying issue). There are medical services that folks can get where the cost is based on income (e.g., CCA in Lewisville area). Empathy on the part of your co-worker rather than embarassment might be a better approach to the situation.

Children this age that have this type of behavior usually have some underlying issues that need to be addressed. If she is mentally competent and healthy, then there is no reason she should not know what she is doing is inappropriate. I have seen my 6 year old nephew poop his pants at times, but my sister and I also notice it's when he's had to go visit his father, or his father and my sister have been arguing, etc. It's usually for some type of attention-even negative. I'd contact both the pediatrician and either get a referral from him/her or look into a child psychologist as well for all the issues she may be experiencing. Screaming at her and punishing her is probably the wrong approach. Take care of it now! In the meantime, make sure she's using goodnights or pull ups and not putting herself through he**!(Your friends sister I mean)!

If she needs medical or psychological help but the family can't afford it, call 211. Give them the girl's zip code and the help they are looking for and the operator will refer her to the nearest facility that can help. All nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to the public are listed in this database. There are lots of resources for low-income people - you just have to know where to look. You can also visit www.211texas.org