Six year old bowel accidents

[Christine8848]

My stepgrandson  is six years old and still regularly has bowel movement accidents in his pants.  His parents have tried punishing him and nothing seems to work.  Sometimes they have to go get him from school because he has had numerous accidents that day. He has had some constipation problems, but the doctor says nothing is physically wrong with him.  He does have extremely large bowel movements.  His parents are separated and I hate to put more pressure on him then needed.  But, he is a big child for his age and very aggravating to have to clean up these messes.  He very openly tells you about his accidents so doesn't seem to be afraid of punishments.  He is an only child and I wonder if they have been too easy on him.  What do you think.

[alzandra]

I have seen this problem first hand in both my best friend's daughter, and my nephew.  Both were told the same thing about there is nothing wrong, not to worry.  

DO worry.  The child needs a paediatrition asap.  If you see a GP, they will keep telling you the same thing.  My nephew's parents are separated and that is why they, too, didn't get help til he was 6.  For your grandson, his parents can expect major changes if put on the proper meds in a relatively short period of time.  "My" kids needed to re-train their bowels as the bowel went back into shape.  But it did give them the tool they needed to succeed and that increased their self-esteem ten-fold.

Good luck with this.  I am amazed at how often this is happening and how little information is out there.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

It is important not to underestimate the impact of constipation - it is the single most important factor in encopresis at this age. When the doctor says there is nothing physically wrong, he likely means that, from a structural point of view, there is no abnormality in the intestinal tract. However, serious constipation can result in impacted bowels, and this requires medical treatment. It is likely what is occurring with your grandson.