UCanPoopToo

Still Having Accidents? Changing laxative dose is typically not enough to solve the issue.

fthorndike — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:50:04 +0000

Effective treatment of encopresis relies on first successfully emptying or cleaning out the child’s colon. As explained in more detail in the UCanPoopToo Medication Core, children can be cleaned out with enemas or medicines. If you do not believe your child is cleaned out after following the steps highlighted in the Medication Core, you should talk to your doctor. Once your child’s colon is cleaned out, taking regular daily medicine can help ensure that your child has soft, formed poops at least once a day. If your child is still having accidents after an earlier clean out, he or she may need to get cleaned out again before then adjusting the regular medicine dose. It is quite possible your child got constipated or backed up again. Changing the regular medicine dose alone is typically not enough if the child is already backed up. So, if your child has started the UCanPoopToo program but is still having accidents, revisiting the Medication Core may help. Read the material carefully to determine whether additional Clean Outs may be needed.

gabel-01

mgrove — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:11:58 +0000

Gabel, S., Hegedus, A. M., Wald, A., Chandra, R., & Chiponis, D. (1986). Prevalence of behavior problems and mental health utilization among encopretic children: Implications for behavioral pediatrics. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 7, 293-297.

lowery-01

mgrove — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:07:30 +0000

Lowery, S. P., Srour, J. W., Whitehead, W. E., & Schuster, M. M. (1985). Habit training as treatment of encopresis secondary to chronic constipation. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 4, 397-401.

croffie-01

mgrove — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:02:28 +0000

Har, J., Croffie, A. (2010).Encopresis. Pediatrics in Review Vol. 31 No. 9 September 1, 2010
pp. 368 -374 (doi: 10.1542/pir.31-9-368)

staiano-01

mgrove — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:57:10 +0000

Staiano, A., Andreotti, M. R., Greco, L., Basile, P., & Auricchio, S. (1994). Long-term follow-up of children with chronic idiopathic constipation. Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 39, 561-564.

bernard-bonnin-01

mgrove — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:53:09 +0000

Bernard-Bonnin, A., Haley, N., Belanger, S., & Nadeau, D. (1993). Parental and patient perceptions about encopresis and its treatment. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 14, 397-400.

Legs Need to Reach the Floor

fthorndike — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:19:24 +0000

Do your child’s legs reach the floor when they are sitting on the toilet? If not, place a stool (or similar item) in front of the toilet so your child can easily rest his or her legs on its surface. It’s hard for a child (or anyone for that matter) to keep the appropriate muscles relaxed when feet are dangling in the air. Once the stool is in place, encourage your child to use this surface for gently resting their feet.

Proper Toilet Sitting Position

fthorndike — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:53:48 +0000

When your child sits on the toilet, check to make sure they are not tightly wrapping their legs around the toilet. Children with encopresis need to keep their legs resting loosely on the floor or a stool. Wrapping legs around a toilet seat makes it impossible to keep the external anal sphincter relaxed during defecation. And that needs to happen for the bowel movement or poop to be successfully pushed out.

- Submitted by Frances Thorndike, Ph. D.

Acknowledge Encopresis is a Problem

fthorndike — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:49:14 +0000

Recognize that encopresis is a real problem. In my clinical work, I found that most parents first hoped that their child would simply outgrow the problem, but in time, they realized that encopresis was a true medical problem that required intervention and help. Even physicians can under-treat the problem, failing to identify the importance of both medical management and behavioral training. Be sure to pursue both parts of getting your child help: learn about the medications that are used to treat encopresis, but don’t forget to learn about the behaviors children with encopresis need to use to get better.

- Submitted by Frances Thorndike, Ph. D.

magee-01

mgrove — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:26:32 +0000

Magee, J. C., Ritterband, L. M., Thorndike, F. P., Cox, D. J., & Borowitz, S. M. (2009). Exploring the relationship between parental worry about their child’s health and usage of an Internet intervention for pediatric encopresis. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 34, 530-538.