ABSTRACT
Not long after we learned that my son Cameron had autism, my wife Leslie attended a workshop led by a psychologist who called himself “Mr. Potty.” The man boasted that he could toilet-train a kid in one day. He’d taken his methods from a book by Nathan Azrin and Richard Foxx, who tell parents to give their child copious quantities of liquids and confine him or her to the bathroom. When the child appears ready to urinate, you place him or her on the toilet. With nowhere else to go, the child quickly learns where to deposit the waste. We figured this method might be effective, but it seemed cruel, and we were confident we wouldn’t need to resort to such harsh tactics. We’d take Cam’s cues, and when the time was right, gently teach him to urinate and defecate in the toilet.
