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 The
Potty Journey: Guide to Toilet Training Children with Special Needs, Including
Autism and Related Disorders by Judith A. Coucouvanis
$17.95  
Jan. 2008, ISBN 978-1-934575-16-1
Gotta
go? Author shares common sense approaches to toilet training children
with autism and related disorders that work!
Toilet training children
with autism and related disorders is fraught with countless challenges
stemming from the very core of their unique characteristics. The communication
and sensory issues alone can create formidable barriers. As a result,
typical strategies are frequently ineffective when used with children
with special needs.
Using a no-nonsense,
often humorous approach, Judith Coucouvanis, MA, APRN, BC, shares strategies
that have produced remarkable results for parents of children with autism
and related disorders nationwide. Promising no "quick fixes,"
The Potty Journey systematically guides you through the entire
toileting journey, step-by-step, to the ultimate destination - dry pants.
By reading The
Potty Journey, you will learn about …
- how to tell if
the child is "ready"
- easy and time-saving
data collection methods
- the importance
of routines and how to develop effective routines
- the impact of
a consistent schedule
- using rewards effectively
- the hidden curriculum
of public restrooms
- the significance
of dry pants
- and last, but not
least, the importance of being patient and keeping a sense of humor
…
Along the way, you
will hear about how to deal with accidents, obstacles, and other mishaps.
Full of useful information and real life examples, The Potty Journey
is reader-friendly and helps you organize and make sense of what often
seems to be an overwhelming undertaking. Throughout the book, parents,
educators and child care providers who have put into practice Judith's
strategies share their successes with toilet training children across
a wide range of ages and disabilities.
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Book
Excerpt From pages 1-3 of The Potty Journey: Guide to Toilet
Training Children with Special Needs, Including Autism and Related
Disorders.
Introduction
A Word to the Tour Director
The Potty
Journey is a systematic and comprehensive toilet training guidebook.
It is not a book of "toileting tricks." Step-by-step,
it leads you, the tour director, all the way through the toilet
training journey to its ultimate destination: successfully toilet
training your child with special needs. Whether you have tried potty
training in the past and given up or have never tried, this book
is for you. The trip is plotted in detail and includes a comprehensive
itinerary for the entire toileting journey. You will learn about
extensive, yet simple-to-do data collection, how to use rewards,
the importance of routine, the impact of a consistent schedule,
and the significance of dry pants.
This book is
about success, removing the barriers that can affect toilet training
and embracing the child's abilities in order to find the solutions
that will help achieve continence. So plan to set aside time to
read and study this book.
Give this job
the same value as other worthwhile activities in your life. After
all, you don't need me to tell you how important the successful
conclusion of this journey is to your child's future. His social
acceptance by peers, school placement decisions, and eventual job
opportunities depend upon it. You are about to embark on an exciting
expedition. Many others have successfully traveled this road before
you, as illustrated in the following excerpts.
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As the
Pediatric Rehab Social Worker at William Beaumont Hospital
in Royal Oak, I am always attempting to identify resources
to meet the many needs of our parents who have children with
special needs.
On a consistent
basis I am asked for information/resources regarding toilet
training special needs children. Since 2002 Judy Coucouvanis
has come to our department and presented her material in a
workshop format.
Parents
tell other parents about her presentation. It is the best
form of validation when I hear from a parent that another
parent has been successful with toileting. The word of mouth
about her process spreads throughout our waiting rooms. Parents
have told me her presentation was the best no-nonsense approach
they have ever tried.
- Therese T. Scarpace, LMSW
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I
am a physical therapist who works in the school setting with
students ages 3-26. For the past three years, I have used and
instructed parents to use the method of toilet training Judy
Coucouvanis outlines in . . The students and families I've assisted
have achieved incredible success. The program is easy to understand
and, more important, easy to implement. Families have seen life-changing
results in a very short period of time. Thank you, Judy!!!
- Cheryl Guy, PT, Rochester Community Schools, Rochester, Michigan |
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All
Aboard for a Successful Journey - Destination Dry Pants
What Others Are
Saying ..
.
"If it wasn't for you teachers and aides at school using Judy's program,
this would have been a huge struggle since children spend the majority
of time at school while awake. You can't be soft; you have to stick to
your plan and sacrifice your time, but a little bit of sacrifice can really
open your lives to a much more normal life. I have seen Aaron's self esteem
go up by 200% after we got rid of the pull-ups. We feel more normal as
a family not having to worry where we are going or what activity we are
doing. He is totally potty trained now and has even slept overnight at
grandma's with no pull ups and no accidents."
- Mother of 8-year-old Aaron, who has an autism spectrum disorder
"I would highly
recommend this program to anyone having a hard time toilet training their
child. The thing I liked the most about the potty training program is
that it presents a well-rounded group of ideas for people to try. The
idea that worked for us was taking an item away and using it as a reward
for each step. Alex loves his DVDs and we obviously can't buy a DVD as
a reward each time he sits on the potty. I took his existing DVDs away
and left him just one. As he would sit for 10 minutes, I would give him
a DVD for the day. Each time he sat for 10 minutes, he would get a DVD.
At night, when he was asleep, I would collect them all and put them up
and do it again the next day. Once he had that mastered, the idea that
he would get to use the DVD for going potty only, he learned very quickly.
Alex is now fully potty trained. We do use pull-ups for night time, but
don't put them on until bed and take them off first thing in the morning."
- Mother of 6-year-old Alex
" ... So I
guess the moral of the story is ... patience, patience, patience, steady
persistence. Try to keep your sense of fun and humor and use rewards -
let you child tell you what some of his choices are for a good reward
and try not to let him see you get frustrated or angry about his lack
of initial success. I tried to remember that I should not act any more
upset at him telling me he didn't have to go or didn't want to go than
I would act if I had offered him a second helping of mashed potatoes and
he turned me down."
- Parent and advocate for Kenny, now age 8, and doing pretty great
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