Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
Three-Year-Old Having Accidents and Autism Tendencies | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
I am a concerned parent of a three-year-old boy. He has been potty trained now for about three months, and just within the last week he has started having accidents. I don't know why he is, he just tells me it's happening because it is coming. He is in HeadStart with his twin sister, and one of his teachers is a special education teacher. She has noticed some echolalia, PDD, and even autism tendencies in his daily behaviors, so I don't know if this has anything to do with that or not. I have heard in the past that if a child is having emotional problems, he starts regressing, but I don't know what could be causing these accidents. Please give me some advice as to what it could be and whom should I ask about this.— Kevinsmom in Schodack, NY | | | ANSWER |
November 13, 2001 | | | Dear Kevinsmom,
Quite often children who have recently learned how to use the toilet go through a period when they have some accidents again. Three months is still a relatively short time. Your son's toilet-using skills are not yet solid. With encouragement, he's likely to regain control. His brief period having accidents may be due to stresses in preschool (even in very good preschools, there are inevitable stresses) or perhaps at home. But, as I said, backsliding is also a normal part of the learning process. If the problem persists for more than a couple of weeks, it might be wise to have your son evaluated by his doctor (urine infections are a possibility, although not terribly likely with a boy in this situation). You also can read more about bedwetting and daytime wetting in our bedwetting section.
Regarding the concern of autism or PDD: The diagnoses of autism and pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) are being made more and more these days. In part, this is because parents, doctors, and psychologists are more aware of these conditions (which is a good thing), and there may be a true increase in their frequency, as well. But it is also possible that some children are being given these diagnoses incorrectly. If one of your son's teachers is concerned about PDD, it would make sense to try to get a more definitive evaluation. Most mid-sized, and all large cities have pediatric psychologists, child psychiatrists, developmental and behavioral pediatricians, or child neurologists who specialize in the diagnosis of autism. These would be the best people to tell you if the concern about PDD/autism is on target, and to arrange for the appropriate intervention if it is.— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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