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Ready, Set, Potty!: Toilet Training for Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disorders
Potty training a child with developmental disorders can present a vast array of challenges, many of which are not associated with teaching a neurotypical child how to use a potty. In this book, Brenda Batts overcomes difficulties and provides tried and tested methods that really work, tailored to each individual child. Bursting with ideas on how to see past conventional strategies and adapt toilet training to suit your child, this book outlines methods that have helped even the most despairing of parents and caregivers. Examples of success range from two year olds to adults aged twenty, and show that no matter how difficult it may seem, a little creativity and adaptation can get anyone toilet trained, no matter how many previous attempts have failed. The program itself is supported by plenty of helpful hints and tips, as Brenda covers all you need to get your child past the diaper stage and help them achieve a big step towards independence. This book will be essential reading for anybody looking to toilet train someone with developmental disorders.
144 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 23, 2018
Firstly, there are some good tips hidden within the book (rather like panning for gold and having to wash all the dirt out the sieve). I definitely would not recommend buying the book, thankfully my copy was from the library, as the writing style horribly rankled with me.
This is what the book felt like. Imagine you fork out a lot of money to attend a toilet training seminar run by someone who sounds rather like a used car salesman. They spend a lot of time promoting their brand and the products on the sales table at the back of the room before they really start talking about anything interesting. You don't want the day to be a complete waste so you purchase one of their books hoping it will contain more actual information. You get it home only to discover that, just like the seminar, it spends a whole lot of time in commercialistic advertising telling you how wonderful and important their brand name scheme is - which is absolutely redundant BECAUSE YOU ALREADY HAVE THEIR !!!! BOOK IN YOUR HANDS!
The other thing that really pissed me off was the condescending judgemental attitude that if you can't potty train your developmentally delayed non-verbal child at age 2 like the author then you're clearly a selfish mother who is robbing your child of their independence. This attitude made me incredible angry since it is definitely not child-led and flies in the face of established medical practice which is that neuro-typical children (especially only / eldest children) may not be ready to toilet train until age 3.5 / 4 years; why on earth should we judge our autistic children more harshly?
If you can manage to grit your teeth and bear your way through the book (skim reading will do) there are some helpful suggestions like working with your child (non-verbal is fine) to try and identify any sensory triggers in the bathroom, like colours, smells, etc. and that the first goal shouldn't be toilet training but to redecorate the bathroom into a non-sensory trigger room where they feel safe and comfortable.
This is what the book felt like. Imagine you fork out a lot of money to attend a toilet training seminar run by someone who sounds rather like a used car salesman. They spend a lot of time promoting their brand and the products on the sales table at the back of the room before they really start talking about anything interesting. You don't want the day to be a complete waste so you purchase one of their books hoping it will contain more actual information. You get it home only to discover that, just like the seminar, it spends a whole lot of time in commercialistic advertising telling you how wonderful and important their brand name scheme is - which is absolutely redundant BECAUSE YOU ALREADY HAVE THEIR !!!! BOOK IN YOUR HANDS!
The other thing that really pissed me off was the condescending judgemental attitude that if you can't potty train your developmentally delayed non-verbal child at age 2 like the author then you're clearly a selfish mother who is robbing your child of their independence. This attitude made me incredible angry since it is definitely not child-led and flies in the face of established medical practice which is that neuro-typical children (especially only / eldest children) may not be ready to toilet train until age 3.5 / 4 years; why on earth should we judge our autistic children more harshly?
If you can manage to grit your teeth and bear your way through the book (skim reading will do) there are some helpful suggestions like working with your child (non-verbal is fine) to try and identify any sensory triggers in the bathroom, like colours, smells, etc. and that the first goal shouldn't be toilet training but to redecorate the bathroom into a non-sensory trigger room where they feel safe and comfortable.
March 11, 2025
Is no one going to mention the incredibly disturbing anecdote shared in this book about decorating your bathroom to align with potty themes? You know…the one where the author figured out that the 17 year old nonverbal girl had a crush and then pushed said crush to allow them to take pictures of him so they could use them as bathroom decorations to encourage the girl to potty train? No one? Just me? Okay then
July 25, 2014
As much as I couldn't stand the writing style, which was repetitive, condescending and arrogant and took half a book to get to the point, I have to admit that the author was spot on with some of her advice. The case studies are the most useful part of the book.
I also admire the positive and creative thinking which led her to successfully toilet train even a 20-year-old.
I also admire the positive and creative thinking which led her to successfully toilet train even a 20-year-old.
December 2, 2017
I got some good tips from this book, but I don’t know if I would especially recommend it. The book is redundant, it takes almost half the boom before it actually lays out the specifics of the plan, and it is definitely lacking in advice if things don’t go according to plan.
April 16, 2023
A very concise and easy to follow guide to get your child to independence on the toilet. Following each creative and fun step through the Ready Set Potty procedures a parent or teacher will be comfortable with getting through a sometimes trying moment of everyone's life. Filled with wonderful and rewarding examples of case scenarios this book helps remove the fear and anxiety that a parent's child will never succeed through this stage of development in their lives.
January 6, 2020
This has great reviews and good information in it but not any information that I didn't already know and could use with my son. He has very high functioning autism.
May 29, 2024
Looking for all the tips for a special needs child. This helped
April 12, 2012
Ready, Set, Potty! begins with an explanation of the importance of potty training--it means independence for those with developmental disorders. The key is to create an individualized program that will teach the necessary skills and achieve the desired outcome. The program needs to be well structured with order, predictability, and routine. These components are especially important for training children with autism and similar disorders. Order provides clarity of instruction. Predictability molds expectations and outcomes. Routine creates consistency in action, allowing the learner to walk through the same steps to achieve the desired outcome.
The heart of the book is the seventeen-step process to achieve potty success. None of the steps is complicated but the number is daunting. But the issue is also very important and very worth the effort. Several principles make this program successful. The motivators (to remain on the potty) and rewards (for success at being trained) are tailored to the individual child. The child is often referred to as "more like us adults than they are different," so the parent can realize that there isn't some mysterious method that will succeed. Children's communication is often non-verbal. Adapting the training method is accomplished by using picture books and simple charts or visual guides on what to do. Practical experience is emphasized throughout and many examples are used (including from what the author did for her son Alex).
Each chapter ends with tips for parents, teachers, and caregivers. The chapters also have some questions to help the reader personalize the information presented. Pages 118 to 122 have a handy checklist for all the steps of the program. With this in hand, the reader can know that they are fully prepared to start the Ready, Set, Potty! program.
The heart of the book is the seventeen-step process to achieve potty success. None of the steps is complicated but the number is daunting. But the issue is also very important and very worth the effort. Several principles make this program successful. The motivators (to remain on the potty) and rewards (for success at being trained) are tailored to the individual child. The child is often referred to as "more like us adults than they are different," so the parent can realize that there isn't some mysterious method that will succeed. Children's communication is often non-verbal. Adapting the training method is accomplished by using picture books and simple charts or visual guides on what to do. Practical experience is emphasized throughout and many examples are used (including from what the author did for her son Alex).
Each chapter ends with tips for parents, teachers, and caregivers. The chapters also have some questions to help the reader personalize the information presented. Pages 118 to 122 have a handy checklist for all the steps of the program. With this in hand, the reader can know that they are fully prepared to start the Ready, Set, Potty! program.
April 29, 2014
The author of this book understands the challenges in potty training a special needs / developmentally delayed child one million times better than any of the other potty training books i've read, and she offers up some really promising strategies in dealing with those challenges. I haven't actually put the 17 step (!!) program in place yet, but plan to do so soon, and will update with results.
July 26, 2011
This book had some very useful information, but I'm now petrified of potty training Alastair.
September 30, 2011
Lots of wonderful ideas. I love how she explains thoroughly. Thanks to what I learned so far from this book, William is at least two steps closer to being potty trained.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews