Hi. My son is 6 years old. I hadn't even heard of SPD until a few weeks ago, when I read a poster in the OT office (we were there for an initial visit). One of my son's major problems is that he is still not potty trained. I have been taking him to a GI specialist for a year now, and he has been treated as a Withholder (a behavioral problem where the child holds in bowel movements). He has been on laxatives since he was 3. The pediatrician has told me that his urinary incontinence is a withholding problem too. But all along I've told both of them that he doesn't know when he has to go, and they said that the rectum/bladder get out of whack from chronic withholding, and with scheduled sitting/laxatives, he will get better. Well he hasn't. Now I'm wondering if SPD is at the root of his toileting trouble. Anyone else deal with this?

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I'm also wondering if a food intolerance is part of the problem, and perhaps that is related to SPD too??? It's hard for me to believe that they are not connected, but I can't seem to find anyone who knows about it. The GI doctors don't know anything about SPD, and the OT doesn't know anything about toileting issues!

Hi Seansmom, I read your post and was prompted by many questions. Have you gone to any SPD sites to see if he fits the description? Hypo-sensitive? Is this the only issue your son has encountered? All other milestones: maturity, cognitive, behavior on track? If yes is your answer, then it sounds strictly physical. If there are any other issues then I would suggest you check out some SPD check-lists, and at the same time talk to your doctor. If your doctor is not helping, find another doctor. Toilet training issues can be apart of sensory disorders, but it sounds like your just starting to have bigger questions....I do have a blog that I have shared my journey with my sensory kids. It may help. I have twin boys who are seven. ONe is Hyper-sensitive, the other Hypo-sensitive. I have two separate posts describing the characteristics that can define a sensory issued kid, and the differences betweeen the different kinds. Look for my post: Hypo-sensory...I talk about my Everett. He is my one that was delayed with toilet training issues, connected with his SPD. Blog: qannie47.blogspot.com Good Luck! Qannie47

I think SPD can affect training and potty time in general. DS1 is just over 3 and a sensory seeker. When DS1 started potty training (he was about 2 then) there were many times he withheld and we had to be more forceful that I'd like trying to get him to sit and or go. He is still on a routine where we have to tell him to go every 1.5-2 hours (he is just over 3 now) because he usually does not recognize he needs to go until he almost or actually has an accident. He is still in pullups for nap and night, and sometimes does not want to get out of the soggy mess when it's time to change. He still has trouble focusing sometimes on actually going and instead has a meltdown over being told to potty or does sensory seeking things (playing in the toilet water, unraveling the toilet paper, yanking the toilet paper holder from the wall, banging the toilet tank lid and seat, etc.) I am still trying to figure this one out- giving him input while he is on the potty is difficult, needs creativity, and this whole process can be so frustrating trying to tailor the approach to your child's specific needs. Best of luck to you.

I hear your concerns Seansmom, and I've been right where you are. Based on my experience in the past two years, the simple answers to your questions are "yes". SPD can cause toileting problems due to poor interoceptive sense, and diet can cause toileting problems as well. I only learned about the latter in past three months. My daughter (5 and a half) was not and is not totally potty trained. However, we discovered after purchasing the Feingold diet program and keeping a food diary, that she wet her pants every time she ate something with citric or ascorbic acid. It took some time to figure this out, but eventually we eliminated citric/ascorbic acid from her diet, and it cut her wetting her pants from several times a day to 4 or 5 times a week, and then only slightly wetting, not fully letting go. A couple weeks ago we discovered she also has a corn sensitivity, and now we're working on eliminating corn derivatives (they're everywhere--even worse than citric/ascorbic acid) and expect that will finally eliminate the wetting. We intermittently have problems with her soiling her pants and are investigating a benzoate sensitivity. I haven't been able to figure out how benzoates cause her to poop her pants, but when she eats a food high in benzoates, she poops her pants within an hour.
The thing about poor interoceptive sense is that when she does have an accident, she doesn't even seem to notice. She'll sit in wet or soiled pants for hours if no one notices and not seem the least bit uncomfortable. We've tried two therapies that are supposed to help with this sense, but not much has changed outside of the diet changes. We've done the Wilbarger Brushing Protocol and Therapeutic Listening. I don't think they hurt, but neither did they help.
I've done so much internet research, it would take a much longer post to give you all the links regarding the sensitivities mentioned above, but if you Google citric acid sensitivity and benzoate sensitivity you can follow the links to gather a lot of information.
Feel free to private message me if you need support or encouragement.