Poop - Fecal Smearing and Autism

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Poop - Fecal Smearing and Autism

by Tara
(Waterloo, ON Canada)

My five year old son is Autistic and has been fecal smearing for 3 years now and most recently has started diaper shredding. No one has any real solutions for us and it's been so frustrating.

Impractical solutions like overalls, plastic pants and velcro. He can open complicated locking mechanisms and the professionals are suggesting velcro???!

I recently found some sleep suits guarnteed to prevent fecal smearing and diaper or pad shredding but they are from a company in England that won't ship to Canada. I found someone to accept the package there and then ship it to me. I haven't received them yet but I really hope that they work although if they do, I can't keep ordering them this way. Why is there nothing like this in Canada? Surely hospitals and institutions have been looking for something to put patients into to prevent this behaviour, what do they currently do here? What do the group homes do?

I am at my wits end and have had days when he has done it 5 or 6 times and all I can think is, "one more time and he's living somewhere else."

It has to be one of the most depressing issues to deal with. No one wants feces smeared all over their home!

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Poop - Fecal Smearing and Autism

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poo smearing
by: nanny uk

i have a 6 year old grandson with cerebral palsey and doesnt communicate verbaly. my daughter telephoned this evening and sobbed,totaly frustrated and worn out after clearing up smeared poo then having to clean out the bath as he had done it in there too ! This is getting to be a regular thing now.i noticed you mentioned a company in the uk and wondered which one and if you have had any success with the product.i would be interested and welcome your reply. thankyou.

Editor's Note:
You can get them here

suit
by: Anonymous

Please let the rest of us know where to get this suit. thanks!

Editor's Note:
You can get them here

one-piece footed pajamas to stop fecal smearing are available here
by: Anna

Lots of people have found an effective solution to fecal smearing by wearing these jumpsuit style footed-pajamas.

Simply use the garment with the zipper in the back - the child won't be able to get to their diaper.

Autistic children also have a tendency towards excessive touching of genitals, and this can help for that problem too.

These garments are made of polar fleece - very comfortable and comforting - and can be worn as a jumpsuit, regular one-piece pajamas, or as footed pajamas.

This is a Canadian store will ship all over the world:
One piece footed pajamas / jumpsuits

Ask about bulk pricing for 12 or more garments

Poop-fecal smearing and autism
by: Dee

I had tried what Anna suggested about jumpsuit with the zipper in the back, but my son who is 6years and on autism spectrum, arrived to take out his arm out. Unfortunately for us, it worked for couple weeks until he figured out how to take it off.
Please, give us more ideas. Thank you.

Concerned mom

----

Hi. Sorry to hear that you are still having the problem. I am heartened to hear though that the reversed one-piece pjs did work for a while. That makes me think that the idea maybe just needs adjusting?

One tip that the manufacturer got from parents like yourself is to use safety pins to keep the top closed, so that the child can't get to it.

Maybe that's worth a try!

Suggestions
by: Lisa

I'm a behaviour therapist working with adults with intellectual disabilities & autism. Not sure what else you've tried besides management strategies (ie jumpsuits etc)...

You may want to have a sensory assessment done by an occupational therapist to determine whether the behaviour is driven by some sensory deficit. There may also be a physiological component to the behaviour related to the common problem of constipation and/or limited ability to communicate pain or discomfort in those with ASD. Once those possibilities have been ruled out then a behavioral assessment may help determine why the behaviour is occurring. Ie does s/he gain something or avoid something by smearing? Once you know the why you can manipulate the environment (your response) or teach an alternative behaviour to (hopefully) prevent the smearing.

Hope this is helpful. Good luck.

how to get the smell out?
by: Toni

My son with autism also smears his poop on occasion and recently he did it all over his bedroom wall. He hadn't done it in so long we didn't realize that it could still happen. I guess we thought he outgrew that stage. My question is, How do I get the smell of poop out of the drywall? We scrubbed and scraped and cleaned with many different green options and I finally used Clorox bleach....it still smells! Any advice? Something that has worked for anyone? Thanks!

Sleepsuits
by: Anonymous

Our daughter is almost 4 and has always gotten out her poppered sleep suits by streaching the neck and getting her arm out. The solution for us was a non streach cotton shirt over it, like a mans work shirt...she couldn't do buttons. The problem I am having is her growing out of the babygrows (max size is 2-3) I need to get some in her size 3-4 or 4-5 etc will be looking at the links.

I know the feeling
by: Tired Mum

Hi I wish i could help but all i can say is i really know what your going through. My son was doing eight times a day at one point but since putting on the failsafe diet and finding out about some of his food intolerances and allergys this has gone down to once every couple of days. You csn find out the info on the failsafe diet on www.fedup.com.au. It does cure autism but it does help.
kind regards Tired Mum

poop smearing
by: Anonymous

My son smeared poop for many years. Doctors were no help. I discovered it was a texture issue. He was seeking that slimy, slippery texture. I began substituting playdough and slime. This helped over time. Good luck.

New understanding of characteristics of autism
by: Anonymous

Hi all, I'm not sure if any of you have heard of Carly Fleischmann but this extraordinary girl brings hope to people affected by autism. She gives insight into the minds of autistic kids and she too participated in fecal smearing,

She cannot speak and for years her parents and doctors thought she was unable to communicate until one day she started typing on the computer. Carly explained what its like to live inside her body and why she screames and flails her arms. I recommend you all check out her website!

She is also on twitter and facebook! she wants to help other kids find their voice! Good luck to you all!

Carly's Voice

something better that footed pjs please!
by: frustrated mom in mn

Ok we have tried the backwards pj's we've even use a small luggage lock @ the top. yep he still gets out of them, tried the non stretchy button downn shirt on backwards, over the top yep he figured out how to unbutton the top few buttons and got the shirt off and then wiggled out of the pj's. If i remember correctly he figured out the shirt after 3 weeks. Got any other suggestions? I think its funny how the pros suggest velcro, really? were trying to prevent smearing, and i would imagine feces is hard to get out of the small crevices of the bumpy velcro side. Safety pins are very dangerous, and if a kid pulls hard enough they will break the pin and get hurt, and in some cases get it stuck in there pj's or them selves. Need some suggestions!

frustrated with fecal smearing
by: Anonymous

Our 7 yr old has been doing this since infancy. I feel like I am having a nervous breakdown. In a typical day he goes through 16 diapers or more and each time he takes one off he has poop butt and sits on the furniture or sometimes eats it. He smears anywhere he can as quickly as he can I am running out of patience and don't want to put him in residential care, but this can't continue or I will lose what little sanity I have left. We have also tried all the solutions mentioned, medical- colonics once a week and now he's pooping with greater ease and larger quantity- great for him, not good for us. Sensory hasn't helped and pj's with a shirt over them are a joke, how do you think he managed to smear in the first place? Oh yeah he stripped naked. As for what they do in residential facilities, I immagine they have one on ones or two on ones and may restrain the children as well as redirect. It's much easier for them to deal with as they can leave after their shift and recouperate from it, then someone new steps in.

same as above
by: desperate

I'm searching for a solution too...our autistic girl is 10 yrs old and still poop smearing (since she was a toddler & even eating it)...we thought we were safe when we would put her in the footie pajamas with the zipper backwards...but, in the past few weeks she has pulled her arm inside the pajama and down her front to get to the poop in the middle of the night. We wake up to find poop smeared all over her bed, furniture, DVDs, t.v., herself! I am so sick of it. She's non-verbal and now entering puberty so there is more genital touching going on. Potty training & therapies have been going on for years...so here I am searching again. We've had some homemade jumpers, but these are not working either...she can reach up or through the arm, ripping the jumper even. What the heck do we do? I am envisioning a straight jacket! I've thrown out floor rugs, toys that were so disgustingly coated and other stuff...this is the worse thing about this disorder...oh, and the diapers are a joke, too - leaking and not covering the whole butt...adult diapers are made for invalids not hyperactive jumping around autistic kids. We double diaper and insert a pad - this kid seems to let it all go while she sleeps.

Sensory Processing Disorder
by: Anonymous

I am an occupational therapist and I am interested in finding out more about why some children feel so compelled to play with their feces. Since all autistic children have sensory processing disorders and crave sensory stimulation throughout their day, then it might be that they are seeking some type of input from the poop smearing activity. It could possibly be scent (pungent and sharp), texture (mushy and slick), or the temperature (warm). I would try to give the child these types of sensory experiences through other avenues.
Scent---> smell sharp smelling cheese in a cup or canister, play with play doh that is scented with pickle juice or vinegar
Touch---> play-doh, pudding
Visual---> finger painting or shaving cream

Try some sensory activities and see if the behavior stops.

at my wits end
by: Anonymous

i have an autistic 2 yr old who smears her poop everywhere multiple times a day. i am a full time at home mom i have 2 other small children at home, i just don't know what to do to get her to stop i am absolutely losing it....please some help

re poop smearing
by: Anonymous

We are dealing with this too. Just thinking of ordering jumpsuits but they look expensive and I wonder if the child will get his arm inside the suit out of the sleeve. It's interesting to see the people commenting here about sensory... this boy just hates keeping a nappy on and we can't toilet train him. He just likes to run around the house with nothing on his lower half. It's become a habit. I'm looking at short sleeved jump suits since the weather here gets warm.

Put An End to Poop Smearing Forever!
by: Flo

I have discovered the ultimate way to put an end to poop smearing forever! For 3 long years I struggled with my 6 year old son's "poop fests". It has cost me thousands of dollars to replace carpets, furniture, bedding and clothing. It was my mother's ingenuity which finally solved the problem. She created a "Stay Clean Suit", which has completely changed my life. I now even feel comfortable taking my son on overnight trips.
To learn more about the "Stay Clean Suit" you can email me at edpsychologist@hotmail.com. Good luck!

my son does it too!
by: Anonymous

is it odd that my son does it too? it has a weird texture as well. the smell is a little off too. how do i fix the problem? i don't like the way it tastes.

Poop smearing
by: Anonymous

My son is 3 and half yrs old is being seen by
The early intervention team here in Ireland he
Poop smears all the time rubs it in himself on
His face and eyes and its everywhere I've being
Using sleepsuits backward with the old fashion
Nappy pin (mothercare) or sow the suit closed
At the the zip also I cut the feet out of the sleep
Suit my son Alex also stays awake all nite I need
Some help to manage this problem cause I also
Have 3 other children I'm a stay at home mum
At my wits end

fecal smearing
by: Anonymous

Hi all..my daughter is into this too..very frustrating..we found a pj that actually really works!! It zips up the back and fastens with three safety snaps up top on the back..no wiggle room to wiggle arms out either!! www.littlesleeperkeeper.com...I absolutely love them but unfortunately we went through a growth spurt so now looking for something bigger..these go up to size 7/8..hope this helps!!

specialty PJ's
by: Anonymous

Our son is 8 and severely autistic and some nights does this. As others have already said, it's horrendous.
I tried a regular one piece pajama with feeties and cut the feeties off; then put it on him backwards.
He finagled the zipper down and slipped out of it in no time.
Then I safety pinned the zipper shut and taped over it to make sure it did not scratch him. No luck. Apparently he messed with it so much he managed to unhook the safety pin (with the tape still on it) and he had little red scratch and poke marks all around the back of his neck and upper back. I felt terrible.
I now have a pair of the PJs out to a local seamstress who is going to secure snaps OVER the zipper and we'll try that... much like on the website "littlekeepersleeper..." that was recommended on here earlier. We'll see if it works.

How is the problem now?
by: kc sleepsuits

Hi Tara,
Just wondered if the sleepsuits have changed your life.
Sylvia.

Have you checked out Carly Fleischmann??
by: Melissa

Hi,

I just came across this thread, and wanted to suggest, maybe asking Carly Fleischmann. I've posted her blog below.

For those of you who don't know of Carly, she's an inspirational young woman with autism, who found her voice through typing on a computer. She now answers questions, keeps her own blog, and tweets regularly. I encourage you to check her out, and her FAQ, perhaps you will find some answers there.

http://carlysvoice.com/

Good luck,
Melissa

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Poop - Fecal Smearing and Autism

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Poop - Fecal Smearing and Autism