Children may bite because:

• It is a stage of their development
• It is a way to express their feelings
• They are telling us they are finding it hard to cope

• Frustration
• Anger
• Tension  
• I’m frightened
• I’m really excited
• I feel happy, I want to play too!

Our brains take in the information from our senses and then our brain tells us what to do.

When the messages from the senses get a bit mixed  up our brains can tell us to  do things or behave in a particular way which can be hard for us and other people to cope with.

Sensory Processing is behind all that we do!

We need to pay attention to far more than just the words we use when communicating with others.

The brain needs a lot more to understand what is going on!

Total communication involves all forms  of communication and different ways of thinking and learning.

Total Communication makes language immediate, memorable, accessible and easy to process.

• Gurgling, crying
• Babbling
• Actions and gestures
• Word building – Analytical Language Processors
• Intonation and melody of language – Gestalt Language processors

Communicate and talk through actions with words

• Milk
• Car

Talking using intonation and a singing voice. Gestalt Language Processor

• Use scripts or ‘gestalts’ to communicate, for example “we’re going on a bear hunt.”
• Break scripts into smaller chunks “bear hunt.”
• Mix and match scripts.   For example, “I want” and “a bear hunt.”
• Isolate single words and put 2 words together, for example “look bear.”
• Use early grammar in new phrases, for example “my want bear.”
• Use early grammar in sentences, for example “please help me find my teddy bear .”
• Move to more complex sentences and grammar.
  For example, “Do you think you could help me find my teddy bear because it isn’t where I left it.”

How can I help my child?

• Wait and watch what your child does before you join in. Give them time to play in their way and notice whether they make any sounds, actions or gestures.
• Get on the same level with your child, so you can see what they are interested in. This might be lying on the floor with them or sitting opposite them or next to them.
• Try not to ask too many questions or suggestions. Instead, make some comments about what your child is doing using playful language.
• Do what your child does. If they like pushing trains up and down, get another train and do the same thing. It can help to have 2 similar toys, so your child does not have to share with you if they do not want to. Copy your child’s actions. This shows them that you think what they are doing is worthwhile. Some children might prefer you to sit back, rather than join in with them. This is fine too; you can focus on modelling language instead.

​​Let’s explore the mouth!

• Children typically stop mouthing as they use more sophisticated ways of exploring their environment by developing their sense and hand–eye coordination.
• Between the age of 18 months and 3 years of age this behaviour for many children decreases as they no longer need this sensory input.

​​For some children mouthing continues. Some children will alongside mouthing also eat non-edible items.

• Soil Wood Sand Grass

Any more?

• Exploration and curiosity: Young children may simply not know the difference between edible and non-edible items yet.
• Communication: If a child has limited speech, pica might be a way of showing they are in pain, stressed, anxious and happy.
• Emotional regulation: Mouthing can be soothing.
• Medical needs: In some cases, pica is linked to nutritional deficiencies, dental issues or even tummy discomfort.

Oral Motor Exercises and Activities

Other ideas!

• Water play such as ice cubes, crushed ice, fruit pieces in water,  soft herbs and vegetables.
• Bubbles in a bowl and letting your child put their face in it safely and blow out.
• Putting a  child’s vibrating toy on their chin, cheek, neck. You can use a  pull cord  vibrating cat toy where you pull a cord to make it vibrate and move.
• Cooked rice, cooked pasta penne, pasta shapes, carrot sticks, crushed cooked and cooled peas.
• Jelly play – sloppy and firm, crushed cornflakes or Ryvita.

Health alert” Always check for allergies and intolerances and that safety measures are implemented to prevent choking.

Other ideas!

• Quiet sensory corners or tents – A safe, enclosed space with comforting items offers a  place to regulate when things get too much.
• Weighted blankets, shoulder or lap pads. – Provide deep pressure that can reduce stress and feeling overwhelmed.
• Fidget toys or stress toys – Give hands something to do and help to redirect energy and attention.
• Noise cancelling headphones – reduce overwhelming  sound input and create a calmer environment.
• Visual cues – Add predictability  and reduce anxiety around transitions.
• Soft, dim lighting – Avoid harsh lights as they may overstimulate.
• Gentle movement breaks – Rocking, swinging, or stretching can calm us.
• Breathing exercises or bubbles – Slow, deep breathing can help the body shift from “ freeze, fight and flight”  into feeling calm.

‘It’s potty and toilet time!’

Starting again! Making a link between have a wee and/or a poo and the potty or toilet.

• Try to change nappies or pull-ups as soon as they are wet or soiled.
• Let them hear you say the words “wee, poo”. Let them see you squeeze the nappy into the potty or toilet and say “bye, bye ,wee”, and drop the poo into the potty, toilet and say “bye, bye, poo”.
• If they can, let your child flush the chain.

Check that your child is not constipated. If they are, talk to your health visitor or GP for help.

Positioning on the toilet and feeling safe and secure

You may:

• Want to use a foot stool as it is important your child’s feet are flat touching the ground or the stool.
• Want to use a toilet seat with a smaller hole, such as a children’s toilet seat insert.
• Want to install a handrail, both sides if needed.
• Put feet marks on the floor or stool to show where the feet should go to help correct positioning.
• Use a rolled-up towel or a cut up foam swim tube behind them; to show them how far back they should sit, increase awareness and provide a feeling of security.

Practising-Good times to try a potty or toilet sit are:

• Shortly after they wake up, after mealtimes and anytime you know your child needs to go (if you see them straining for a poo or fidgeting, holding themselves).

Once you’ve helped to grow your child’s body awareness and they begin to develop confidence in what they’ve learnt, you can then start to build in and give opportunities to practice some more advanced skills. These include:

• Words or signs that they can learn to help communicate their needs to you
• How to push their pants down and pull them up again afterwards
• Good personal hygiene: the correct way to use toilet paper for wiping, handwashing and drying
• Don’t forget at this practice stage they can still wear a nappy.

Other things you can try are:

• Music, songs, stories and videos on you tube about the potty and toileting.
• Tactile activities e.g. fiddle toys, putty, play dough. Visuals e.g. kaleidoscopes, spinning danglers. Set aside some toys or books that you and your child will only look at when they are on the potty or toilet.
• Gentle massage, tummy, feet or hands.
• Sounds e.g. waves, music, bird song and slow deep breathing.
• Thinking about a favourite place or activity.
• Have a favourite doll or toy pretend to use the potty.
• Help your child add some stickers to their potty to make it their own.

Fear of the toilet

• Fear of the  toilet, may be triggered by an unpleasant experience, such as a noisy or smelly toilet. Children might remember this each time they go – leading to an association of anxiety with going to the toilet. They may also start to hold in wee or poo to avoid using the toilet which can lead to constipation as the poo is held in and not let go.
• Fear of toilets is often about the unknown. This fear may be linked to imagined monsters and scary things, snakes in the toilet, and germs.

Signs that your child may be afraid of the potty/toilet or may be afraid of letting the poo go and is trying to stop the poo from coming out.

• Seeming distracted or vacant  and not responding to instructions. It can take a huge amount of effort and concentration to hold on. Your child may get cross if you interrupt them at this point or seem ‘unreachable’.
• ‘Smudges’ of poo in their pants or nappy. Hiding in a favourite, safe space like behind the sofa or wrapped up in curtains when they feel a poo coming.
• Some may sit on the toilet or potty and make grunting noises that sound like ‘pushing’ but this is actually them using all their effort to keep their bottom firmly closed.
• Crouching or sitting when they feel a poo coming and then standing up quickly to prevent it coming out.

Using the toilet is a very sensory experience.

• Toileting, is a very sensory experience. Many children find that bathrooms and toilets are upsetting or scary. They may have difficulties in understanding the sensations experienced by their own body and knowing how to react to them.
• It is useful to look at the different sensory experiences your child has and try to work out and understand which parts of their sensory needs are causing them difficulty. This will help you to create an area where the child feels more relaxed, secure and comfortable to use the potty and/or toilet.

Sensory needs and fear of the toilet or having a wee or a poo.

Many children may be upset by too much sensory stimulation including:

• Visual – bright lights, reflections, glare.
• Hearing – echoes, sounds of toilet filling and/or flushing, hand driers.
• Touch – the feeling of the toilet seat, toilet paper, clothes being down round the legs.
• Smell and taste – highly perfumed bathroom products and cleaners, the smell of poo.
• Balance – feeling of unsteadiness especially on a strange or different toilet.
• Proprioception – understanding where your body is in space and in relation to the toilet.
• Interoception – over sensitive to the sensations from inside the body, including the  bowel and bladder.

Things you can do to help your child.

Tactile, balance and body position

• Consider if the toilet seat is right. A padded seat may feel softer and warmer. Consider the texture of toilet rolls or wipes and work out which the child is happy with.
• Consider the temperature of the bathroom and how this might affect the toilet seat, floor and environment.
• Provide toys and activities which offer extra tactile input if needed.
• Build in more opportunity for movement activities, including bouncing on therapy balls, wheelbarrow walks, doing push-ups against walls  before going on the potty or things that the child can fiddle with. Consider increased experiences at other times to give more opportunity for movement, such as wobble cushions, beanbags before sitting on the potty.

Things you can do to help your child.

If your child is oversensitive or anxious about wee or poo touching or splashing on their body or clothes you can try:

• Putting a piece of toilet paper in the toilet before using it to reduce risk of splashes.
• Teaching the child how far down to pull their trousers, pants or skirt.
• Letting your child wear disposable gloves to avoid contact with wee or poo.
• Using toilet wipes (make sure they are flushable!)

Things you can do to help your child.

Children wanting increased stimulation can explore an increase in smells.

You can try:

• Increasing smell input by using air-fresheners.
• Allowing a child to have something with them to sniff to provide them with strong smell input, by using a wristband with perfume or essential oil or scratch-and-sniff stickers.
• Build in experience of increasing smells in their daytime routine

Things you can do to help your child.

If your child gets upset by too much visual input. you can try:

• Reduce the amount of visual information on the walls and think about the need for calming colours for walls and towels.
• Reduce glare from lighting – small press-on lights or low wattage bulbs may be useful.
• Think about reflections, and whether mirrors need to be changed, covered or removed.
• Some children may wear sunglasses to reduce visual input, and these may be useful in the bathroom. Reduce visual overload by putting toiletries or equipment in boxes or out of direct line of vision.

Things you can do to help your child.

If your child does not like sounds you can try:

• Starting to flush the toilet while they stand by the bathroom door, then gradually ask them to come a little closer. When they are near enough, encourage them to put just a little bit of toilet paper in the toilet to flush away. If your child still  finds flushing upsetting you can, try recording the sound of the flush, and using this to gradually desensitise them.
• Provide ear defenders, ear plugs or play a song they enjoy quietly in the background.

Things you can do to help your child.

If your child wants more sound, you can try:

• Providing alternative things to provide auditory input for example musical or other toys with interesting sounds.
• For repetitive flushing, include a visual cue for a single flush followed by a different enjoyable activity. Recording the sound of the toilet flushing on a recordable button can help and they can keep pressing it to hear the sound.

Putting the pants on.

Moving from nappies to pants is a big change for children. To make it easier you could try:

• Making sure it’s a good time for you as well as your child. It’s best to avoid doing it at a time when there are any big changes or disruptions to your child’s or family’s routine.
• Telling your child, it is time to stop using nappies. You may like to help your child to say goodbye to their nappies and explain that from now on, they will do all their wee and poo in the potty or toilet.
• Making sure your child is drinking enough during the day. Aim for 6-8 drinks a day.

Patience

Learning to use the potty and toilet takes time. For some children it can be a few months, for others it can be several years. That is fine!