Automatic bathrooms.....

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-20-2008
Automatic bathrooms.....
14
Wed, 06-25-2008 - 4:56pm

Our most recent melt down this week so far has been the automatic bathrooms. I hate when he says he has to go to the bathroom. He cant stand the noise from the automatic flushes, doesn't like the automatic sinks as well because they are not at the temperature he wants them at, then if there are automatic dryers for drying of the hands he will refuse to use them or the automatic paper towel dispensers.


Its gotten so bad to the point I have just started to carry antibacterial wash in my purse. I cannot let him go with out peeing even have done the whole pee here at home thing before we leave. It never works that way... I am told the loud noise must effect him some how. But I just don't get the automatic everything else.


If you met my son you probably would run screaming cause everything has to be just so and if it isn't god help you. I am so frustrated you see other moms with there kids in there. Mines the one with the terrified look on his face with his hands to his ears crying he doesn't have to go but you know if you leave it alone he'll just have an accident. Then I look like the mean parent torturing my kid and I get the bad looks like I am the bad parent.


Some people just don't understand how frustrating this can be and when he gets angry at me he hits me or shoves me. Now in the old days you could just spank them and it was done now a days you cant. Even if I did do that it would only make it worse then what it already is.


All I can do is take it one day at time right now and it just seems like none of the days get better.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
Wed, 06-25-2008 - 5:58pm


He is not doing it to be difficult. he is doing it because it is terrifying -probably even painful for him to endure these bathroom trips. Getting frustrated will not help the matter. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but there you go. You have to take a deep breath and tell yourself "It's not him. it's the Autism" over and over again.

Have you considered carrying some ear plugs in your purse for him? This won't help with the "surprise" factor, but I might help with the loud noise.

My son is almost 10 and still an unreliable flusher because of the noise factor. Sometimes I wish my loo flushed automatically!

-Paula


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-Paula

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2003
Wed, 06-25-2008 - 7:16pm

I despise automatic bathrooms because they are so terrifying for dd.

Samantha
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 06-25-2008 - 8:39pm

OMG I hate those things. DS was completely phobic about those.

 

Jen

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 06-25-2008 - 9:12pm

Hate automatic bathrooms!!


At age 6 my son can finally handle the flushing but not the too hot water at most automatic sinks and he refuses to use the hand dryers and can't even really be in the bathroom when other people are using them.

                                

Avatar for mamabearof2
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-30-2003
Wed, 06-25-2008 - 9:41pm

Hey Jenny, I really don't have anything to add-I wanted to say welcome and I know you'll find the support you need here.

Linda :)

Linda5Fburgerbear.jpg image by suzyqe1            &nb

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-2007
Wed, 06-25-2008 - 10:51pm

I have an idea! Those automatic toilets detect motion, right?


Carry a little roll of thick tape in your purse, like that white athlete tape you can get in the band-aid isle. Before your son or daughter goes into the stall stick a little of that tape over the motion sensor so it won't flush automatically.


I'm not sure what to do about the water or paper towels.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-29-2008
Thu, 06-26-2008 - 12:45am
Good to hear that so many other kids have trouble with public restrooms.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-13-2006
Thu, 06-26-2008 - 1:10am

Yep, same thing here, although it's better now that he's ten.

Actually, your post reminded me of something that baffled me when David was little. As a tiny infant, he was generally a mild-mannered little guy, but as soon as we went into ANY public restroom, he's start screaming and writhing. We couldn't change his diaper in a restroom at all, so we'd have to do it in the trunk of our car. It didn't matter what the restroom smelled like or what kind of sounds were there; he would FREAK out. I mean, even when he was just weeks old. Fast-forward to the toddler/preschool years, and it was still the same thing, only with the added benefit of helpful relatives suggesting he was trying to show us who's boss. Public restrooms freaked him out so much, there was no hope of potty training him for going out. PT at home wasn't a big problem, but we couldn't go anywhere.

Finally, somehow, he had some kind of breakthrough and got over it, more or less. This was before we had a clue about AS, so I don't remember, really. But then, at one of our local parks, they switched out the old toilets for automatic flush ones, and we were right back where we started.

I truly envy families who can go out and enjoy life without that kind of stuff to worry about.

And BTW, those automatic toilets kind of bug me, too. Ever have one flush when you aren't ready? Of course, I've managed to get fat enough that I block the sensor no matter what. ;)

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-05-1998
Thu, 06-26-2008 - 8:30am

My 5 year old DD (who is NOT on the spectrum) is also terrified of automatic flushers, air hand dryers, and loud flushing in general.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-22-2003
Thu, 06-26-2008 - 5:02pm

Automatic toilets have been public enemy #1 for years around here. Claire will be eight in August and she still goes into hysterical meltdown mode the minute she sees one. We do our best to make her go in a place where we know the toilets are not auto-flush.

A few years ago we took a short trip to Chicago and ended up putting her in Pull-Ups the entire trip, even though she was completely trained at the time. She was so terrified of the toilets that she would wet her pants rather than tell us she had to go.

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