This article is evidence-based, verified by Dr. Ahmed Zayed<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fecal smearing in children has three primary reasons: behavioral, sensory, and medical. Behavioral issues in an autistic child![\"Opens](\"https:\/\/safesleepsystems.com\/wp-content\/themes\/acabado-6\/img\/extlink.png\" "\\"Opens")
<\/a> include the need for attention or not knowing what to do with the feces. Sensory problems arise from the lack of a sensory outlet, i.e., something that lets your child express creativity. Medical reasons include feeling pain and fearing toilets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this post, we'll cover:<\/p>\n
When you begin to realize the gravity of your child\u2019s problem, you should not panic. An autistic child doesn\u2019t always mean to create a terrible mess out of something as disgusting as feces. Because their behavior is unintentional, all you need to do is teach autistic children how to discard their feces properly and keep a check on them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They undoubtedly require additional toilet training<\/a> as compared to children who aren\u2019t autistic, but the training pays off. Here are tips on toilet training for an autistic child that can help you deal with fecal smearing: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Children with autism sometimes find it challenging to go to the toilet when needed. This is because they often find it difficult to use the bathroom properly. For instance, a child with autism might try to wipe off feces on the wall instead of using toilet paper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To ensure that your child doesn\u2019t feel reluctant to use the toilet, you should perhaps try using wet tissue wipes. If your child wears a diaper, keep a thorough check on when your child soils the diaper. Replace the diaper as soon as it\u2019s soiled.<\/a> This will prevent autistic children from getting their hands inside the diaper and digging out the feces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For even the most confident parent, cleaning your own child\u2019s smeared feces can be nerve-wracking. No matter how much you care for your child, it is incredibly hard to stand fecal smearing. Luckily, you can use your child\u2019s adaptiveness to ingrain how bad this habit is. First of all, you should attempt to make the child realize that smearing feces<\/a> isn\u2019t acceptable at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When left unsupervised, it’s pretty easy for children to poke a hand inside their diaper and pull out feces. Even after you repeatedly tell them not to do so, autistic children find it difficult to follow orders. To make things more convenient for both yourself and your child, you should try limiting your child’s access to the diaper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some parents use duct tape to join the child’s shirt and pants together. Some dress their children in onesies<\/a>, while some sew the top and bottom together. You can also use supportive stockings. They keep the diaper in place and make it difficult for your child to reach inside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the biggest reasons behind fecal smearing in children with autism is that they don’t find sensory outlets<\/a>. There are plenty of alternatives that you can provide your child with to distract them from using feces for ‘creative’ purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are also medical reasons behind feces smearing. To clarify your child is smearing feces because of medical reasons, you should consult a GP. Often, the pain inflicted from harsh toiletries causes children with autism to avoid using the bathroom. Instead, they smear their feces on any object in sight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes, when autistic children are ill, they’ll feel like it’s too much of an effort to use the toilet. As a result, they’ll smear their feces wherever they are. This usually happens at bedtime, when children just smear their bedsheets with feces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most critical thing for a parent to do in this situation is to keep cool. Keeping yourself focused is easier said than done, but it helps a great deal in solving the issue at hand. Here’s what you must avoid doing to prevent this issue from getting much worse: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you leave the cleaning up to your children, they’ll get the impression that it’s alright to smear their feces. They just have to clean up afterward, and then it’s all good. If you let your child assume that you don’t care, the situation is bound to get much worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remember, your child just needs encouragement to overcome this condition. If you assist them in dropping this habit, there\u2019s no way that the problem won\u2019t solve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
