Returning to school can be a source of stress and anxiety for autistic children, as their relaxing summer schedule suddenly changes.
From loud ringing bells to new teachers and classmates, school can be overwhelming, leading to increased incontinence.
However, there are supportive steps you can take to help your child adjust to the new school year by working with their teachers and connecting with the right durable medical equipment (DME) provider.
While you can help your child prepare for school by packing healthy lunches and enough incontinence supplies to last the day, their teachers can help when you’re not there.
It’s crucial that you meet with your child’s school administration to ease your child’s transition. Teachers can help by:
• Allowing your child to sit near the restroom and go when they need to without asking
• Preventing potential bullying
• Reminding your child to take regular bathroom breaks if distracted
• Developing a code word for needing to go or for accidents
They can also help by realizing your child’s sensory triggers and adjusting the bathroom to be a more comfortable space.
Maybe they’ll allow your child to not flush the toilet if the sound alarms them, or have grab bars installed if they don’t feel safe.
If you feel nervous addressing your child’s teacher, remember that they are trained professionals.
They have likely helped children with incontinence before. Plus, they likely want to make sure your child’s incontinence doesn’t interfere with their classroom learning.
- Make sure to set up a private meeting.
- You can email the teacher ahead of time to let them know what the discussion will be about.
- Also, bring a list of your child’s symptoms to make sure you don’t forget any sensory triggers or signs.
How The Right DME Can Help
Caring for an autistic child with incontinence quickly fills up your plate.
As you support and motivate your child to overcome fear of accidents, you may not have time to keep up with incontinence supplies.
This is where the right DME can help by taking something off your to-do list by sending incontinence supplies on a monthly basis in discreet packaging, directly to your home.
This eliminates the hassle of running out to department stores at the last minute.
Choosing a DME Supplier
When choosing a DME supplier, it’s important to make sure they have a dedicated and understanding customer service team to address your child’s individual needs.
A quality team will assign one incontinence care specialist to care for your child.
They will proactively make sure your child has correctly-fitting incontinence products and call or email you on a monthly basis to see if you need any product changes.
For example, your child may need a more absorbent brief and will need to change sizes as they grow.
The right DME will also have an efficient billing team to navigate insurance policies for you.
Having incontinence supplies covered through insurance can be a huge financial relief, but who has time to contact insurance companies?
A good DME does! Generally, a proper billing team will contact your insurer and your child’s doctor to discover your options and ship your items regularly.
You And Your Austistic Child Can Do This
You and your child with autism may feel nervous about transitioning into the new school year, but with support and encouragement, they will adjust.
Take things one day at a time and let your child know that everything is alright.
Include your teacher to help ease the transition and make sure your child is prepared with proper incontinence supplies from an exceptional DME provider.
Your child will be having great days filled with learning in no time!
Cheryl Williams is
