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Child Behavior (Expert Forum)
sensory intergration and bowel training
Answered by
Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D. - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Crisis Intervention
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates
This forum is for questions and support regarding child behavior issues such: Child Discipline (behavior management), Normal Child Development, Parent-Child Communications, Social Development
sensory intergration and bowel training
by Lu, Jun 03, 2000 12:00AM
I have a 5 yr. old son that has been diagnosed with mild sensory intergration. He is seeing an OT. He also has encopresis. He has never been fully trained for bowel control. He takes a daily laxitive but still seems to be able to hold it. On occasions he has had a bm in the toilet. What can I do to help him? I feel like part of the encopresis is due to the sensory intergration issue. (He still can't pump a swing). With school starting soon I want to do anything I can to help him.
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D., Jun 03, 2000 12:00AM
, Jun 03, 2000 12:00AM
Dear Lu,
It's not likely that mild SI issues will have any causal relationship to encopresis in any direct manner, but in a more general sense children with SI limitations can lag a bit in various areas of development.
Be encouraged that your son has used the toilet successfully. From a behavior management point of view, the best approach is to be patient and to support and reinforce the type of behavior you want. This can be easily done with a five-year-old by establishing a simple incentive/reward system, using a chart with stickers, and then offering your son a small reward on any instance that he uses the toilet.
It's not likely that mild SI issues will have any causal relationship to encopresis in any direct manner, but in a more general sense children with SI limitations can lag a bit in various areas of development.
Be encouraged that your son has used the toilet successfully. From a behavior management point of view, the best approach is to be patient and to support and reinforce the type of behavior you want. This can be easily done with a five-year-old by establishing a simple incentive/reward system, using a chart with stickers, and then offering your son a small reward on any instance that he uses the toilet.
Member Comments (2)
by Mojo38, Jun 12, 2000 12:00AM
I too am having problems with my son, he just turned 7 and I think he has SI issues. I must cut off all the tags on his shirts, the seams on his socks bother him and the biggest issue is that he holds in his BM 's for 4-5 days and then has 3 or 4 little accidents in his underwear until finally he will make a really large one in the potty. I took him to his pediatrician about a year ago about this, (this has been going on since he was potty trained at age 3) and she said that he was known as a "fecal soiler" and it was part psychologocal and part behavioral/ power struggle. I have him on a strict diet with plenty of fiber, fruits, veggies, water and 2 tablespoons of mineral oil to no avail. When I ask him shy he does this he sometimes says "he can't feel it coming out" and other time he says that"he is afraid it will hurt". Then I explain that if he did not hold it in so long it would not get so big and then it would not hurt. I am worried that he is going to cause permanent damage to his bowel nerves. I think I am going to try another doc. I don't think he is constipated because it is not dry stool but one long thick string. Any advice? Mojo38
