Because no Wednesday is complete without a discussion of toilet training.
(It's true, think back to how many dissatisfied Wednesdays you've had in your life ...)
We've been working on Alex's training for almost two weeks now and it's been difficult. My laundry requirements have significantly increased due to accidents. And we're going through gummi bears like candy (I know they are candy, but the metaphor still works). Every fifteen minutes between 4pm and supper, he gets taken to the washroom to sit for a minute and earns a gummi bear. Most of those times, we will have a dribble of BM to deal with.
For every 5 BMs which end up in the toilet (whether directly or rolled over from underwear), Alex earns an ice cream. He's earned 3 in the last two weeks, which has had its own behaviour challenges.
I've spoken to the behavioural specialist and she agrees this needs to be tweaked. Right now, Alex is getting more rewards for effectively restraining himself rather than letting things flow, which isn't the main goal. She's working on a new plan.
I still find it frustrating to deal with the BMs but it's not as bad as I was afraid it would be. (Previously, after dealing with daily dribbles for over two years with no relief in sight, I was beginning to lose it emotionally.) I'm not as positive as the therapists but I think I'm doing all right.
I'm also wondering about our Incontinence Grant from Easter Seals. We can only submit receipts for diapers, not laundry, wipes, clothing or bedding. So, in effect, there is a bit of a penalty for those who are trying to toilet train their children since they have fewer receipts to submit. It's not a huge amount of money but I'm worried about losing it and then not getting it back if it turns out Alex can't be toilet trained.
But that's a later issue. For now, I need to focus on being positive and keeping the requirements consistent.
No comments:
Post a Comment