Content area
Full text
Learning to use the toilet can be challenging for some children with autism. Nurses have an important role in supporting children and their families
Keywords: Continence/Autism/ Toileting
Abstract MacAlister L (2014) Toileting problems in children with autism. Nursing Times; 110; 43.18-20.
Children with autism may experience continence problems for various reasons. Some are related to their autism but may also be the result of other physical difficulties. This article explores some of the underlying reasons for toileting difficulties in this group of children and offers strategies to improve the quality of life of both children and their families.
In this article...
* How autism affects children
* Why learning to use the toilet can be challenging
* Strategies to support children and their families
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them. It is a spectrum condition, which means that, while all people with autism share certain difficulties, their condition will affect them in different ways. Some people can live relatively independent lives but others may also have learning disabilities and need specialist support. People with autism may also experience overor undersensitivity to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light or colours.
The three main areas of difficulty that aU people with autism share are sometimes known as the "triad of impairments" and comprise difficulty with:
* Social communication;
* Social interaction; and
* Social imagination. Other characteristics include:
* A love of routines;
* Sensory sensitivity;
* Special interests; and
* Learning disabilities.
Autism is a broad term, under which several distinct conditions fall. Asperger syndrome is a form of autism and people with the condition are often of average or above-average intelligence. They have fewer problems with speech than people with other forms of autism but may still have difficulties understanding and processing language.
Autism and toileting
Common toileting difficulties for children with autism are listed in Box 1. It is important to recognise there may be various reasons why they find toileting skills difficult to acquire; some may be related to their autism, some to specific physical difficulties and some a combination of the two. Various characteristics of autism, as...