Potty Training Support
Potty training doesn’t always follow the tidy little timeline people expect.
Some children seem uninterested. Some are anxious about the toilet. Some can pee independently but struggle with poop. Some know exactly what to do and still avoid it. And for neurodivergent children, toileting can involve much more than “readiness” or motivation.
Sensory differences, interoception, anxiety, constipation, executive functioning, rigidity, transitions, motor planning, and past stressful experiences can all affect toileting.
That means the solution usually isn’t more rewards, more reminders, or more pressure.
Toileting behavior makes sense
Before trying to change the behavior, we look at what may be driving it.
Is your child noticing their body’s signals in time?
Does the bathroom feel uncomfortable or overwhelming?
Are they afraid of the toilet, flushing, wiping, or having a bowel movement?
Are they avoiding a transition away from play?
Has constipation made toileting painful in the past?
Does your child know what to do but struggle to initiate it independently?
Has potty training become a source of tension, power struggles, or shame?
When we understand what is getting in the way, we can build a plan that actually fits your child.
A gentle, individualized approach
My approach to potty training is developmental, relationship-based, and neurodiversity-affirming.
We work on building skills and reducing barriers rather than forcing compliance.
Depending on your child, that may include improving body awareness, making the bathroom more sensory-friendly, reducing anxiety, creating predictable routines, teaching toileting steps explicitly, addressing avoidance, or changing how adults respond when accidents happen.
The goal is not to make your child use the toilet on someone else’s timeline.
The goal is to help them build the skills, confidence, and body awareness they need for greater toileting independence.
Potty training support may be helpful if your child...
is older than expected and still struggling with toilet use
is autistic, has ADHD, or has other developmental differences
seems unaware of when they need to go
holds urine or stool
refuses to sit on or use the toilet
will pee in the toilet but avoids bowel movements
has frequent accidents despite understanding the routine
becomes anxious or distressed around toileting
struggles with wiping or other parts of bathroom independence
has become caught in a power struggle around toilet use
has made progress and then suddenly regressed
Support for the whole process
Potty training is rarely just about the toilet.
We may also look at routines, sensory needs, communication, reinforcement, independence skills, transitions, and the emotional climate surrounding accidents and toileting.
Parents often come in worried that they have “waited too long” or that their child should already have figured this out.
There is no shame in needing more support.
Some children simply need the process broken down differently.
Medical collaboration matters
Toileting difficulties can sometimes be connected to constipation, pain, urinary issues, gastrointestinal concerns, medication effects, or other medical factors.
Potty training support is behavioral and developmental and is not a substitute for medical care. When appropriate, I may recommend that families consult with their pediatrician, gastroenterologist, urologist, or another medical provider alongside our work.
View the potty training support options.