Using Behavior Analytic Principles to Create Four Individualized Toilet Training Procedures for Children With Autism

The development of independent toilet use has been a subject of interest since the first behavior analytic interventions (e.g., Azrin & Foxx, 1971), for the high social significance of this skill, as well as for often being considered as a prerequisite for accessing inclusive environments. In this research, four individualized toilet-training procedures were designed aiming to increase initiations and toilet use and decrease accidents in four children with autism. All children attended FuturoSchool in Paris, an ABA-based educational provider for children with developmental disorders, and received an average of 18-hours of 1:1 ABA-based intervention per week. The toilet-training procedures were individualized to suit each child's needs and strengths and data were collected on initiations, toilet use and number of accidents per session. Results show significantly positive progress consisting in increased initiations and toilet-use and decreased number of accidents. The ongoing success is attributed to the use of solid behavior analytic principles for the development of highly individualized teaching procedures.