3 1/2 yr old wont bath

my 3 1/2 yr old son has autism and sensory problems and he seems terrified of the bathtub,
he has no speech and little understanding, and i can only get him to stand in the tub while i wash him down and he spends the whole time screeching!!
i have tried a waterproof light that gives off a light show but nothing seems to distract him!!!
how can i get round this????

[Rachel Thompson, Ph.D., BCBA]

I like your idea to try to distract your son during the bath. this was a good starting point. I recommend the following general strategy:
(1) Begin by bathing your son in a situation in which he does not scream or resist strongly. Pick a situation in which he is calm and will allow you to bathe him, but one which is as close to the ultimate bath goal as possible. For example, if he does fine when you wash him outside of the tub, start there. If your son will only tolerate very brief periods of washing, you could accomplish the entire bath across several brief periods of bathing in which you wash a different part of his body each time. This would also allow him to practice several times a day.
(2) Wash your son in this manner for several days. Give him lots of praise for cooperation and perhaps a desirable reward as long as he is cooperative
(3) Then gradually reintroduce components of the bath. Think about introducing one new component every few days, as long as your son is doing well. Start with those that you think will be least problematic. You will need to go very slowly. If he begins to resist the bath, you have changed things too quickly and will need to go back to a step on which he cooperates.
(4) In addition, consider adding some more fun to the bath time. You can provide some commerically available bath toys or allow your son access to some favorite toys that will not be ruined by water. Let him do some parts of the bath himself if he prefers. Give him some choices. For example, ask him which body part to wash first. Make sure that the bathroom is warm and that the water is at a comfortable temeperature.
(5) If your son resists the bath, try to follow through (if safe) by continuing the bath quickly and in a matter of fact manner.
(6) Try to avoid commenting about or reacting to his protests about the bath, but do recongize his cooperation.

[Fionakb]

My son is suspected of Asperger's and we're going through the diagnosis right now so different from your son. However he has the sensory issues and this was one of them when he was that age.
Here's what I did:
Daily I used to let him play naked with his favourite toy (animals) in an empty bath. Then after a few weeks we let the water trickle in. Eventually he would have a bath if he went in naked first, empty with the water then turned on slowly. He was then screaming if the water ran too fast or if I showered him so once he was comfortable in the bath daily for a few weeks I would run a shower into it for a short time, extending the period and eventually filling up the bath that way instead of with the taps. The water from the shower falling on the bath water fascinated him and he was calm.

It took me well over a year but it paid off. He is now 8 and will have a bath although he is anxious before he gets in and often climbs in before I run the tap. He now has a shower every morning and he doesn't actually wash but the water just hits his back and it's on the trickle setting not a power shower, he can't do it any other way.

I'm hoping that by the time he is a teen he will be able to wash properly but what was a distressing time for him and for me is now part of his routine and push him a tiny bit further every now and then, today it was shower gel. I found that he couldn't use a wash cloth but my hand instead, probably less irritating.

My son could communicate although not when he was this distressed but I know you have a more difficult task at hand. I hope this helps, hang in there.