So you have decided to potty train your child? Or maybe your child will go number 1 but will not go number 2? We can help with the BM. To prepare you will need the following items: food, bathroom entertainment, reinforcers, a social story about pooping in the potty, a team of at least two adults, plenty of clean diapers (if your child asks for a diaper only to have a BM), potty visuals, and data charts. You will need to develop some very special key words such as “Its time to…”, and “you need to…”. Avoid asking your child “can you?”, “will you?”, and “do you want to?”. Lastly, you will need to recognize your child’s usual signs of having a bowel movement.
For the food, make sure to give foods high in fiber and plenty of fluids to help promote healthy bowel movements. For bathroom entertainment, go out and buy activities that you and your child can do together in the bathroom because your child will be spending lots of time on the toilet. The purpose of the fun activities in the bathroom is to help create a fun, calm, and entertaining atmosphere. Some fun activities are books, music, movies with a portable DVD player, art projects, arts and crafts such as making necklaces, bracelets, etc. For reinforcement, you might have already bought these especially if your child is in a therapy program or has favorite preferred toys in the home. However, purchasing new items can lessen the boredom. For potty training, you will need special reinforcers that motivate your child to have success in the bathroom. Each time, before your child goes in the bathroom or asks for a diaper, conduct a preference assessment and ask your child what he/she would like to earn once the poop comes out. You will need to have at least two adults present so that someone is with your child at all times in the bathroom and one to retrieve needed items (and so you can have potty breaks yourself).
So in the days leading up to your poop party, or possibly the night before, you will need to stand in the bathroom with your child while they have a BM in their diaper. This is so you can identify the signs of when your child is having a BM. Maybe your child is squeamish, quiet, pulling at his/her diaper or clothing, standing off in the corner or being shy, or even possibly vocalizing a particular phrase. Whatever it is, pay attention. This is very crucial to making sure that poop, from this point on, ends up in the toilet. You might want to also chart patterns of when your child is likely to have a BM throughout the day.
So poop party day has finally arrived. Shortly, before the time that your child usually asks for a diaper, approximately 30-60 minutes, read the BM social story with your child. You may choose to read this social story again in the bathroom if it’s beneficial. When your child asks for a diaper, put the diaper on your child and have them stand in the bathroom as you have been doing. 
Show your child the treat bag, and ask your child what she would like to earn for going potty in the toilet. Use your first/then visual and place chosen item or a sample picture on the schedule. When your child begins to have a bowel movement, tell her she will earn a reinforcer when she sits on the toilet and the rest of the BM comes out. Even if only a tiny amount of BM comes out while sitting down, give your child the candy immediately after she finishes. Praise your child, “you went potty like a big boy/girl”, and “you pooped on the potty!”. Each time your child asks for a diaper, repeat the above process.
Once your begin to recognize your child’s poop patterns, after your child asks for a diaper, show the child reinforcers and tell her that she will earn a reinforcer for going poop on potty. Then place child on the toilet and reinforce for sitting on the toilet the whole time and going poop. Once the child is comfortable having a BM on the toilet comfortably for a week (the child must be sitting for the entire duration of the BM), get an extra special reinforcer and revisit your social story. Now your child will only earn reinforcer for going poop in the potty without asking for a diaper. Your child should earn this special highly motivating reinforcer each and every time your child has BM in the toilet without asking for a diaper. Once your child is successful, gradually fade reinforcement to every other BM, then every other day, every three days, then every other week, then intermittently (“you’ve been doing such a great job going BM in the toilet, here is a bonus treat”). Congratulations, you have successfully poop trained your child!
For more help with potty training be sure to visit our other posts and pages:
Potty Party Plan: The 1, 2, 3 so he will 1 and 2
