Occupational therapists can play a crucial role in helping children develop independence in a range of activities of daily living, this includes the skill of using the toilet. Toileting is an important part of daily life and a significant milestone in a child’s development, marking a transition towards increased independence in self-care. However, for many children mastering this skill can be difficult. Occupational therapists are a great fit if you are looking for help in developing your child’s toileting skills, read on to find out why and how we can help!
What things do you help with?
There are so many parts of toileting, so there are many things that we might need to help with! For example, this could involve:
- Fear of the toilet
- Difficulty noticing and responding to body feelings (e.g. the urge to wee or poo)
- Pausing activities to go to the toilet
- Overactive bladder
- Assistance managing chronic constipation
- Cleaning up and wiping
What might be impacting my child’s development of their toileting skills?
Occupational therapists are great at observing and analysing tasks, and can help find the reasons that your child may be having difficulty so that it can be addressed. Here are some examples of things that can impact a child’s toileting skill development:
- History of constipation, causing a fear of pooing or the toilet
- Sensory preferences
- Physical skills, like reaching around to wipe
- Knowledge of the steps for toileting
- There are many skills that make up toileting, read more in this blog.
What should I expect to happen in an OT session?
Occupational therapists aim to empower children to achieve toileting success at their own pace, fostering confidence and independence. We utilise a holistic approach that considers the whole child and their family. All therapy is individualised and targeted to your child, but here are some ideas of what things therapy might include:
- Play and positive exposure to toilets
- Visuals and stories
- Targeted education about the body
- Learning through games
- Imaginative play with toys
- Specific task practice of the components of toileting – like learning to wipe with nutella on a doll!
- Practical strategies to use at home or school
Some of the questions your OT may explore with you and your child:
At Kids That Go, we see a range of children presenting with one or more areas of difficulty around toileting. While everything we do is individualised to each child/family, we often explore some of the areas below:
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Do they have any medical concerns such as constipation or history of urinary tract infections?
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Is your child sensing the urge for their bladder or bowel?
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Do they know what the feeling is, how to name it and respond or ask for adult assistance?
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Is their bladder and bowel mechanically able to empty?
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Is your child fearful of the toilet or letting out poos?
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Can they sit comfortably to relax their muscles to empty whilst maintaining a seated posture?
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Do they have difficulties with balance, coordination and postural control?
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Is the toilet environment noisy, smelly, cold etc?
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Are they able to get to the toilet independently or do they need help?
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Can they get the lower garments on/off – do they have difficulties with fine motor skills?
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Can your child initiate an action in response to bladder or bowel urge and ‘go to the toilet’?
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Are they able to ‘pause’ or stop their activity to go to the toilet?
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How can Kids That Go help?
If any of the above sounds like something you would benefit from assistance with, we are here to help! At Kids That Go, our team has lots of specific experience with toileting and helping children develop the skills that encompass this goal. We aim to make toileting fun, and know that children learn best through play. It’s important to us to get to know a child and their family, to ensure that interventions are carefully tailored to each family.
While we can assist with the functional management of constipation, we are not Doctors. We always recommend seeing your GP first for a bowel and bladder review, or to discuss medication.
Contact our team via phone or email if you would like to learn more or to book in to see one of our Occupational Therapists for toileting!
SIENNA SMILEY
Occupational Therapist.
