We have been working with Rhema on “potty initiation” for the past several months. She will faithfully go potty when I take her to the toilet at designated times, but she has never gone on her own or indicated to us that she needed to go. So we have been showing her a picture icon of a toilet in the hopes that she will learn to give us the icon when she has to use the bathroom. Well, today Rhema did “potty initiation” in a big way, although she did not use the icon or come and get me.
Like most people, Rhema prefers to have her feet on the ground when using the toilet. The same goes for eating or working at the table. In OT-speak, it’s called proprioceptive input and when Rhema has it, she is usually able to concentrate better. I graduated her to the Big Potty many months ago by giving her a Dora step stool and Dora potty seat. Even though Rhema transitioned to the Big Potty she has always preferred her own Toilet Throne that we used at the beginning of toilet training because she could put her feet on the ground.
Today while I was feeding Hope, Rhema took it upon herself to find her old Toilet Throne, place it on top of her Dora seat on the Big Potty, climb up and go potty. I found her there sitting like Rodin’s “The Thinker” and she had successfully used the bathroom! Not only did she initiate, but she provided herself with the proprioceptive support she needed!
