YOU MAY HAVE HEARD STORIES FROM OTHER PARENTS THAT TOILET TRAINING YOUR AUTISM SON WILL BE DIFFECULT. IF SO, REMOVE ALL THAT FROM YOUR MIND. WITH THE HELP OF HIS TEACHERS WE WERE ABLE TO TRAIN MY SON IN JUST A 45 DAYS. FIRST I WOULD WRITE DOWN THE TIME THAT I CHANGED HIS DIAPER AND WHAT HE HAD IN HIS DIAPER. FOR EXPAMPLE, IN THE MORNINGS I NOTICED THAT HE JUST DO #1. AFTER TWO WEEKS OF RECORDING THIS INFORMATION, I SWITCHED TO PULL-UPS. I KNEW THAT ABOUT EVERY TWO HOURS HE WOULD HAVE TO USE THE BATHROOM. I WOULD TAKE HIM TO THE BATHROOM AND PLACE HIM ON THE TOILET AND JUST WAIT FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN. IF NOTHING DOES, THEN I WOULD LET HIM WASH HIS HANDS AND TRY AGAIN TWO HOURS LATER. HE GOT USE TO THE ROUTINE AND SOMEHOW KNEW WHEN IT WAS TIME TO GO TO THE RESTROOM. AT THIS TIME I REMOVED THE PULL-UPS COMPLETELY AND GOT HIM UNDERWEAR. HIS TEACHERS FOLLOWED THE SAME SCHEDULE AT SCHOOL AND WHEN HE WANTED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM THEY WOULD TAKE HIM EVEN IF HE JUST WANTED TO GO SO HE WOULD HAVE A CHANCE TO WASH HIS HANDS. HE WOULD GRAB HIS TEACHER BY THE HAND AND TAKE HER TO THE BATHROOM. BY AGE 3 HE WAS USING THE BATHROOM ON HIS OWN. TWO YEARS LATER AT AGE 5 HE LEARNED TO SIGN "BATHROOM". THERE WILL BE A FEW ACCIDENTS, BUT BE PATIENT. GOOD LUCK!

I am the father of our son, Naeem who just turned 8 last month and he's been going to the bathroom by himself for a few months now. It was a long journey in that regard: he would sit on the toilet comfortably for long periods of time without doing anything, then as soon as the diaper is on he would stool in it. He would go a whole day without stooling if not wearing a diaper so after trying various methods including installing a tv and vcr in the bathroom, one evening I had a brilliant idea; I divorced myself from all else and gave him my undivided attention. As soon as I saw the indicative body language, I would quickly remove the diaper, take him to the toilet and he would just sit there. This continued for several hours until there was a small deposit (big victory!).
The following day I continued the same approach but I had to go to a meeting in an adjoining room so I thought I would take him to the bathroom once more before I leave but I didn't, however I removed the diaper. As I was sitting there putting on my socks he dragged himself from the computer and ran to the bathroom where he made some relieving, revealing sounds. Maybe this will work for someone else out there. Keep Trying And Good luck!

I have a daughter with high-functioning autism. We were very worried about toilet training, even considering some of the very expensive 'toilet training camps' for kids with autism. We found that while most kids with autism have sensory issues and can't feel the need to go -- which precipitates toilet training, that they eventually will feel it -- just later. Our daughter was completely toilet trained by age 4. One weekend we took off her diaper...she had one accident and that was that. I don't know that you will have the same experience with your son, but be patient and have hope. Many times things happen for our kids the same way that they happen for their typical peers --just a couple or several years later.