How do you discourage fecal smearing in children with hearing loss?
DeesMom asked:
My son is almost 4, we adopted him when he was 1, he started smearing his feces after a nap. He is developmentally delayed and we recently found out he has significant hearing loss. I know since he has been with us he has had no abuse and prior to being adopted was in the hospital due to prematurity and had little nurturing. Is this going to dicipate on its own with patience and training or does he need to see a specialist?
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My son is almost 4, we adopted him when he was 1, he started smearing his feces after a nap. He is developmentally delayed and we recently found out he has significant hearing loss. I know since he has been with us he has had no abuse and prior to being adopted was in the hospital due to prematurity and had little nurturing. Is this going to dicipate on its own with patience and training or does he need to see a specialist?
March 1st, 2010 at 5:31 pm
I’m a little puzzled. Whether he has some hearing loss or not and whether or not he is developmentally delayed really shouldn’t be an issue as long as he can process instructions. Tell him that what he is doing is nasty, that you are not going to accept or tolerate it, and that it is to stop immediately. Give him a stuffed toy or something so he’ll feel more comfortable, but explain to him that this is not allowed. If he does it again, punish him just as you would for any other act of defiance. Don’t let him get away with not obeying you.
You’re going to have to realize that just because this child has had some problems, that does not exempt him from needing the guidance and discipline of his parents. A hearing loss is not an excuse for not minding. Tell him what you expect of him, be firm about it, and let the consequences teach him if he disregards what you are telling him. Troy F
March 4th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
You might have to simply prevent him from getting to it in the first place. I’ve known people who have turned around onesies (they do make larger sizes), turning around zip pajamas and running duct tape up the zipper so he can’t unzip it.
You may need to shorten nap time and wake him up so he doesn’t have time to get into it. Or put a very sensitive monitor in his room and go in as soon as he wakes up.
Chin up. I can only imagine how frustrating this is for you. pdooma