Hi,
We had a situation yesterday that I'm at a loss as to what to do. A little background information. My 6yr old son has high functioning autism. He’s very intelligent and VERY strong-willed. He is verbal, but has difficulty with expressing himself. He also has quite a few sensory issues. In this case commercial toilets/public restrooms set him off. I think it has to do with the loud flush and the seat is different. He doesn't have trouble peeing in public toilets. I also think he's self conscience of the smell of a BM. I've been working with the school since last year to work through it and he was able to go once last spring and I thought that we finally made some progress.
Yesterday my son complained at school about having a tummy ache. He typically gets tummy pain because he holds his BM’s at school and starts to cramp up. We have a new teacher and I told her during a conference a couple of weeks ago that this could happen and what his teacher did last year to help. It didn't work and the poor guy was hurting most of the day. We both agreed that sending him home was not the answer and that he needs to work through this. They tried every strategy they know to help him through it, but he refused to go. He came home from school and immediately went to the bathroom he ended up having the runs and was sick most of the night. I talked to his pediatrician and they confirmed that there’s a stomach virus going around that causes diarrhea. I’m very concerned that he held it as long as he did. I can’t imagine how painful that could have been. He was determined to wait until he came home.
He typically does not get constipated because he goes at home after school. But that also comes with stomach cramping because he’s holding it.
We have an appointment with a child psychologist that works with children with ASD next week for other issues as well as this, but in the meantime I’m looking to see if anyone has ever dealt with this and any suggestions on how to jump this hurdle.
think of this could you do this some can and some can't but could you go pull him from school when he needs to go take him home have him go than take him back to school? Just a thought I don't have an autistic child and I know they are amazing kids so I don't mean to upset you but it just seems like something like that may help
I hope you and the therapist can help him get over it, but I have to tell you -I'm not autistic, and I was the same way until my 20s when I was having fissures and other issues and had to start going whenever I felt like it instead of holding it. I did not poop at school -ever! It's more common than people know. Not to make light of it, but there's even a riff on a character in the movie, "American Pie" about one of the guys who won't poop at school! Good luck, but I've known other people just like me and your son!
My son is the same way - he will not use the restrooms at school and he is in the 9th grade. He will wait until he gets home - which can cause a problem if we have errands to run after school and he is delayed.
When he was in grade school he had a couple of tummy ache episodes also. Then the school nurse told him to come to her office as she had a private bathroom. That helped alot!
Does your son's school have a private bathroom he can try? That may eliminate some of the noise and stress levels. I also agree with trying to have him "train" his body and adjust the time he normally goes. But if he is sick maybe he could, with therapy, adjust to a more private setting if the school can accommodate that.
Good luck and God Bless!!!!
The only thing I can think of is trying to get him to switch his time for his BM. See if he can go in the morning before school. Then he won't have to worry about holding it because he's already gone. Poor little guy. I wish I knew a good solution.
