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MelowMeldrew

Why do some Autstics regress ?

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It's an issue posing problems at present after many years of teaching my child how to use the toilet appropriately, to dress himself etc, he is now regressing to near potty training again and putting clothes on backwards, inside out etc. has all this work been for nothing ? what triggers regression ? He doesn't appear outwardly stressed any more than usual. if we show frustration he giggles and 15 minutes later does it all over again, but I feel it is more than just some sort of attention-seeking.. Unless he is monitored around the clock he will forget everything he has been taught, and appear to need constant reminding every time. As he is 18 the difficulty of attending to his need is now becoming problematic, he has virtually abandoned the normal process of using the toilet.... . I am thinking along the lines he is aware of impending adulthood, will be leaving his special school next year for good which he thoroughly enjoys attending, and wonder if he is consciously regressing for fear of the future ? I think his teacher is priming him for a future after school as are we, with great caution...but is this his reaction ?

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Has this always happened ie. learning things and then losing that learning, or is it specifically now and only around using the toilet?

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It seems a relatively recent thing and on the face of it quite deliberate. He gives every indication he knows he is doing the wrong thing, but cannot be encouraged to do the right thing again. Having said that toilet issues go back to day 1. He wore nappies until 6 years old, he refused to use a toilet outside the home for 8 years even in school, he has complete control over his bowels and can hold off all day in school but his first port of call when he comes home is 15 minutes in the toilet. It took a few more years for him to use the toilet normally. We were defeated at school who tried to help because of his control over bowel movement, he simply said he didn't need the toilet there. Obviously at age 18 people won't go in the toilet with him to make sure he does things right which is currently the only way to ensure he does. He seems quite happy to see us all frustrated by it.... His current behaviour seems deliberate and aimed at us particularly. We are at a bit of a loss how to proceed....

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If he is doing it deliberately to you, then he must have some theory of mind to understand that his actions are going to annoy or upset you.

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My son has had phases in the past of deliberately wetting and soiling himself and then as if by magic reverts to using the toilet again. No one knows why, only he does. I have sometimes felt it is a reaction to something he doesn't like, so he then has to do something worse than what it is he doesn't like. i.e wetting /soiling or self injuring. Not nice but im sure it will pass, just try as best as you can to ignore it .

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If he is doing it deliberately to you, then he must have some theory of mind to understand that his actions are going to annoy or upset you.

 

We always bear the brunt of any frustration or stress, no matter where it is induced at school or elsewhere. Perhaps he does these things because it is one area he can completely control the effect it causes, and the more difficult to address. We are hanging in there and hoping he reverts back to proper toilet usage via prompts and encouragement, we learnt the hard way the worse we can do is pander to it, as he then steps behaviours up a key more ! Why he would need to get more of our attention I have no idea, he gets 24/7 now.

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Hi my son Glen has been the same as your son over the years. He has and still does have spells of wetting and soiling, more so when he's in bed at nights. In the morning the bed is wet and sometimes even soiled which isn't nice at all. However these spells seem short lived and he goes back to normal. It is better not to make a big thing of of it, as if you do then it could definitely make the situation much worse.

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It is just hard to ride out these behaviours isn't it.

 

My son doesn't soil. But he does other things, such as chip away at the plaster on the walls. Or write on the walls.

 

Or due to OCD his room is becoming like a hoarders life of grime. You would think the fear of contamination and germs would make him clean up - but no - he is too fearful of 'touching' anything. So everything gets dropped on the floor and his bed becomes an island surrounded by complete chaos. I'm going to have to go in sometime in the next week and blitz it.

 

He's also going through a phase of being obsessed about germs in his ears. He keeps putting things down them to try to 'clean' them. But what he is actually doing is introducing infection. He's getting repeated ear infections and having to have repeated antibiotics. I am worried that he is going to damage his hearing. But other than put him in a straight jacket there is little we can do apart from watch him like a hawk. School today emailed me that they had found him stuffing bits of toilet paper down his ears. And although you can have a logical discussion with him, and he agrees to stop, and he agrees that what he is doing is not helping, but making matters worse - as soon as you walk out the room he is obsessing again and back to sticking things down his ears!

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Maybe hes subconsciously thinking if he still is displaying past behaviour then he will stay at school? Has there been any specific plan for after school with social stories explaining what's going to happen after school ends? Along with explanations of why he cant return to school but what about school consistencies he can still do? eg playing with friends, eating the food he had at school, finding out about his favourite subjects, indulging in his hobbies and interests that haven't stressed him out?

 

Did any similar regressive behaviour happen before the end of last year? Is it getting increasingly worse the nearer to the end of term your getting?

 

When I moved into my 1st flat the only way I could show I was unhappy was sleeping on my sofa. It took a while to realise it was me longing the stability of being at university where my bed was by my tv and pc. I was appearing happy but it was due to feeling people understood and weren't going to stop me longing for university again. I even seriously considered going back to university residentially but after looking into it realised that wasn't possible in my situation. I can fully understand why many ASD folk go to university and stay there as long as they can.

 

Ive regressed due to my pain levels becoming unmanageable and having many problems im trying to resolve at once. ive also tried to get back to the stability I once had back in 2000 when I was on a course that was helping me with excellent support people and seeing friends once per week.

 

 

if someone says to me 'don't forget to lock the door' my brain can sometimes retain 'don't lock the door' or 'forget to lock the door' so instructions have to be more specific.

 

Soiling and wetting can be a sign of sensory overload, Paul Issacs explains this in his books. Does he like the smell? Does he like the feel of smearing? Is he unaware he needs the loo (mentioned he said he 'didn't need the loo', he might mean 'he doesn't recognise the need for the loo'). He could be craving the pressure of a full pair of pants more because of the uncertainty around after school. He could also be finding the acoustics in the toilet overloading so avoids them by avoiding the toilet.

 

Don't know if this article can be hired from your local library?;

 

Wheeler, Mary (1999). Toilet training for individuals with autism and related disorders. Future Horizons, Inc.

Edited by trekster

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