Autism Spectrum Disorder is a structural brain difference with a strong genetic component.
People on the autism spectrum tend to have difficulty with proprioception (body awareness). Potty training can be especially difficult for kids on the spectrum. Sometimes they have a hard time paying attention to their bladder until it's too late. I remember reading an article that contained an interview with an adult who was severely autistic, but who was able to communicate through typing. He was recalling his childhood when his mother would call to him from another room, and he just couldn't remember where his legs were or how to start walking. It wasn't until she came into the room and yelled at him to stand up that suddenly he remembered how to move his legs, stand up, and walk.
Because of my background as a massage therapist, I'm aware that touch can help improve and change proprioception. My three year old son gets wrapped up in playing and doesn't want to stop in order to use the bathroom. I suspect that sometimes he forgets that he even has a bladder until suddenly his clothes are soiled. I set about making something that would help remind him during the potty training process.
This belt doesn't potty train. It's meant to help potty training in a child with proprioceptive difficulties.
People on the autism spectrum tend to have difficulty with proprioception (body awareness). Potty training can be especially difficult for kids on the spectrum. Sometimes they have a hard time paying attention to their bladder until it's too late. I remember reading an article that contained an interview with an adult who was severely autistic, but who was able to communicate through typing. He was recalling his childhood when his mother would call to him from another room, and he just couldn't remember where his legs were or how to start walking. It wasn't until she came into the room and yelled at him to stand up that suddenly he remembered how to move his legs, stand up, and walk.
Because of my background as a massage therapist, I'm aware that touch can help improve and change proprioception. My three year old son gets wrapped up in playing and doesn't want to stop in order to use the bathroom. I suspect that sometimes he forgets that he even has a bladder until suddenly his clothes are soiled. I set about making something that would help remind him during the potty training process.
This belt doesn't potty train. It's meant to help potty training in a child with proprioceptive difficulties.
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Signing UpStep 1: Materials
Small vibrating alarm or timer
Needle
Thread
Scissors
Ace bandage
Stretchy cotton or other material
My husband was originally going to make the vibrating device using a pager motor and some other components, but he's been really busy with work.
I found a keychain sized vibrating alarm on Amazon for $10, which is excellent for this project.
I used a stretchy Ace bandage with velcro to make it easier to put on and take off, and I used a scrap of stretchy cotton for the pocket.
Needle
Thread
Scissors
Ace bandage
Stretchy cotton or other material
My husband was originally going to make the vibrating device using a pager motor and some other components, but he's been really busy with work.
I found a keychain sized vibrating alarm on Amazon for $10, which is excellent for this project.
I used a stretchy Ace bandage with velcro to make it easier to put on and take off, and I used a scrap of stretchy cotton for the pocket.
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I only tried this on him for a four hours one day because he wouldn't open the bathroom door by himself or pull down his pants (unless he was alone and wanted to run around naked). We've got a lot going on, but I was planning on actually doing potty training after our heart baby's next heart catheterization. I did want to make sure the device worked.
Maybe I got lucky, but now he'll grab my hand sometimes and lead me to the bathroom so I can open the door, help him take off his pants and diaper, and then he'll use the potty chair. I really believe that physical communication works a whole lot better in this situation with his specific brain than verbal (or even visual) ever would.
Now to just find the alarm again... one of his younger twin sisters loves mechanical devices and ran off with it somewhere... *sigh*
She also unlocked my iphone and moved all her favorite games out of their folders so she'd have to do one less step when she opens them up to play with them. She's 21 months old... won't talk, but knows my iphone better than i do. :(
When computers were first invented, they were used to talk to other computers, to do calculations and such, and the human interfacing with them was fairly minimal. So it made sense to set up computer interfaces that made it easier for computers to talk to one another, vs. an interface that was more natural and intuitive for us to talk to them.
As a result, the computer to computer interface evolved into the standard, and it's what we learned. Now, with touch screen technology, programmers are developing interactive interfaces that are much more intuitive to how we interact w/ the normal world. However, because we've been trained to use computer to computer interfaces, it doesn't seem as natural to us at first. However, because toddlers have never used those kind of interfaces, they're much more adept at these much more "natural" and inherently intuitive ones.
The point of all this being, don't feel bad about not being able to beat your baby girl on your iphone! =)
and I foresee a lot more extra hassle down the road because she's clever enough to get into stuff.
Smart kids make extra work for tired moms.
You sound like you're doing an excellent job with your kids. Thanks so much for sharing what works for you. I'm going to pass this information on to a friend of mine who has a son on the autism spectrum. She has a blog that I think your instructables could fit well with.
Good luck!
Yeah, I know I made plenty of extra work for my mom. ;)
Anyway, it's a great idea! :)