There are multiple things you need to consider when creating toileting routines in your special education classroom. Here are a few of my tips and tricks that I’ve learned to help give you a better understanding of toileting routines.
Whether you are working on getting your students out of pull ups or diapers or if you are trying to stop a child from having accidents throughout the day, you have to figure out the best time frame to “catch” the student before the action happens.
When I start out with a new student and there is a goal of independent toileting routines, I always start them on a 30 minute time frame between sitting sessions. Yes, that is very frequent. Once I get to know the student more, I increase that time.
Typically, I use a class period as a reference point to start. For example, a student would toilet every 45 minutes in a typical middle school bell schedule. As the student learns the routine and I learn more about their own bathrooming habits (how frequently they go), I increase or decrease that time.
For my students, we wait on the toilet for 10 minutes. During that time, they are to sit on the toilet and do nothing else. For some other students, we have waited up to 20 minutes. You know your students best. There is a classroom visual next to my toilet for students to communicate when they are done or if they need more time.
*Mom tip: turn on the faucet for a trickle of water to come through and make your student start thinking about urinating.
When I add more time to their sitting on the toilet, I add 2 minutes. I do this each time a student requests more time. This way they learn that they are in control of their toileting routine. Be warned, your students may manipulate this time to get out of work. Use your best judgement with students.
In a toilet routine, I only give the student a reward when they use the toilet appropriately– at the end of their sitting sesion. I have some students that need to request the bathroom and then use the toilet before they get their reward, but you can always work up to those skills.
First, you need to take an interest inventory and find items that will be most rewarding to your student. Once you find 1-2 items that are reinforcing and appropriate for the bathroom, solely use them during the toileting routines. That means, never use them when they are not in the bathroom.
Previously, I had a student that would request the bathroom just to get the iPad. The iPad was the reward item agreed on by the previous IEP team and family, so we followed protocol. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for me to learn that the student was manipulating the system to get the iPad and play games in the bathroom.
The point of this story was for you to make sure the rewards are feasible and appropriate for the bathroom. You want them to be rewarding enough, but also appropriate for the toilet time.
Data drives instruction in a special education classroom. Track each toileting session for your student.
Here are a few things you should consider when taking data:
2. If they are wet or dry prior to the session
3. If they actively use the toilet when in the bathroom.
I also always leave an area for a staff name and comments for those extra pieces of information. I once had a student that would only use the bathroom when with me and not with my assistant. This data is important to know when making future toileting routines.
When the data is taken consistently for a month, you need to reevaluate the toileting schedule. I check and see the time frame between sessions. Is it enough? Does the student need a longer gap? Shorter gap? If a student isn’t having accidents with a 45 minute wait in between sessions, try for an hour gap between. Keep building that up as long as the accidents do not occur.
Similarly, if your student is having accidents between sessions (45 minutes), decrease that time to 30 or look at the data to see how often they would get soiled.
I do this same process with the amount of time a student is sitting on the toilet when engaged in the toileting session. (Too much time? Not enough time?)
Finally, you need to consider how reinforcing the reward is for a successful toileting session. Reevaluate the reward to determine if this reward has lost its luster or is still really motivating for your student to receive when they have used the toilet.
I repeat this cycle every month to determine the student’s toilet readiness.
Most importantly, a teacher needs consistency when developing toileting routines. If a child needs to be in the bathroom at 11:00, they should be there. Not at 11:10. This consistency helps students develop an understanding that this is their time for the bathroom.
Consistency also needs to happen at home. If independent toileting is a focus for the family, they need to also be doing it at home. Many times, I’ve had parents say that they want their child potty trained, but do not do these procedures at home.
I have potty trained six students in school in my career.
4 of these students were not toilet trained for home. I know this is due to a number of reasons, but it is very difficult to explain to a parent that their child is potty trained and wears underwear at school, and there isn’t much more I can do for them at home, so families are forced to have their child to wear pull ups or diapers at home. This is due to inconsistency.
When you start the potty training journey in your special education classroom, make sure you have a clear conversation with families explaining that they need to follow the protocols at home as well to help promote generalization and independence throughout the child’s day.
To determine if your student is ready for a toileting routine, make sure they have the basic understanding of wet and dry. Can they tell you if they are wet when they truly are? Can they accurately tell you that they are dry when they are dry?
The next piece you need to consider is are they exhibiting any toileting behaviors when they need to go to the bathroom. Similar to a toddler, does your student hold themself, go into a corner, or do a dance when they need to go?
These few behaviors can tell you more about a student’s toileting routine readiness.
Thank you for reading this blog! I hope you feel more confident in your toileting routines after reading! If you have any questions or concerns, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
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