Parents often ask excellent questions of our encopresis experts and we find the responses are helpful to many families. One mom recently needed help with the following:
Question: My son (just turned 7) becomes very uncooperative when it is suggested that it is time to sit and try. We have continually tried to tell him the importance of trying, yet he refuses only to have an accident shortly after. HELP
Encopresis Expert Answer: Many parents in our program have expressed the very same frustrations and feelings you are describing. Encopresis can be very difficult to manage and time consuming to treat, especially when it feels like you are the only one trying to solve the problem! The behavior you describe is actually quite common in encopresis, where the child does not want to sit and try (or may not want to take medications, or any of the other helpful behaviors needed to end encopresis). We generally recommend parents work with the child to develop some kind of reward system to reward the child for participating in the needed (and clearly identified) behaviors. Children typically do best when they know exactly what is expected of them (i.e.,sit 3 times a day at this time), and what they can earn in exchange. Involving the child in picking the reward can really help.
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