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Potty training a child with autism: what belongs in the IEP

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated

Short answer

Toilet training can be part of an IEP when your child needs to learn toileting skills to take part in school. The IEP can include a goal, such as asking to use the bathroom, a schedule of bathroom trips, and supports like a picture sequence. It should protect your child's privacy and match what you do at home.

Many children with autism learn to use the toilet later than other children. That is common, and it is nothing to be ashamed of. Some children need to learn each step on its own. Others find bathrooms loud, bright or confusing. Some have medical issues like constipation that make it harder.

If your child is still learning toileting at school age, the IEP can help. This page shows what that can look like, with plain notes, so you can compare it with your child's plan.

Can toileting be in an IEP?

Yes. An IEP covers the skills your child needs to take part in school, not just reading and math. These are called functional skills. Toileting is one of them. The IEP must describe your child's current skills and set measurable goals for the year.[1] The toileting goals page shows the kinds of goals schools write.

The school should work with you. A toileting plan works best when home and school use the same words, pictures and steps.

Privacy and dignity come first

Your child's privacy matters at every age. A good school plan:

  • Uses a private bathroom or stall whenever possible.
  • Limits the adults involved to one or two trained staff.
  • Keeps data private, using simple codes on a sheet that is not left out.
  • Has a quiet plan for accidents, with spare clothes and a private place to change.
  • Never uses a child's toileting as a reward, punishment or topic of class talk.

Your child's school records, including toileting data, are protected by federal privacy law.[2] The guide on how to measure toileting goals with privacy explains how teachers can collect data without sharing details.

When a health plan is needed

Some children have medical reasons for toileting problems: constipation, urinary infections, medicines that affect the bladder, or a physical disability. If your child has any of these, ask that the school nurse be involved. The nurse can write an individualized health plan (IHP) with you and your child's doctor.[3] The health plan covers medical steps. The IEP covers teaching.

Tell the school if your doctor has given advice, such as a fiber or fluid plan. Ask how the school will follow it.

A toileting section of an IEP, with notes

Below is a short example for a made-up 5-year-old named Eli, who has autism.

Present levels. "Eli is in kindergarten. He uses a pull-up. On a 30-minute bathroom schedule, he urinates in the toilet in 1 of 8 trips per day, based on 10 days of data. He does not yet tell an adult when he needs to go. He covers his ears when toilets flush. At home, his parents report he is dry after naps about half the time."

Goal 1. "When it is time for a scheduled bathroom trip, Eli will walk to the bathroom and sit on the toilet for up to 3 minutes in 4 of 5 trips." Baseline: 2 of 5.

Goal 2. "Eli will ask to use the bathroom by handing over a picture card or using a sign in 4 of 5 opportunities across 2 weeks." Baseline: 0.

Supports. "Bathroom trips every 30 minutes, adjusted with data. A picture sequence of the steps posted in the stall. Ear defenders available; staff will flush after Eli leaves the stall until he is ready to flush himself. The same picture card and word ('potty') used at home and school."

Who helps. "Toileting support is provided by the classroom paraprofessional, trained by the special education teacher and the occupational therapist."

Data and reports. "Staff record each trip with codes (dry, wet, voided in toilet, requested). The teacher sends a weekly summary home and reports on goals each quarter."

Questions to ask the team

  1. "Which bathroom will my child use, and who will be with them?"
  2. "How will you keep my child's toileting private from other students?"
  3. "What words and pictures will you use, so we can use the same ones at home?"
  4. "How often are bathroom trips, and how will you decide when to change that?"
  5. "What happens if my child has an accident?"
  6. "Who will collect data, and how will you share it with me?"
  7. "Can the school nurse be part of the plan? We have advice from our doctor."
  8. "How will you handle the noise or smells that bother my child?"
  9. "How will you know when to move to the next step?"
  10. "What should I do at home this month to match what you do at school?"

What to do next

  1. Keep a simple log at home for one week: times your child is dry, wet or uses the toilet. Share it with the teacher.
  2. Agree on one word and one picture for the bathroom, used everywhere.
  3. Ask for the nurse if there are medical concerns. A health plan and the IEP can work together.
  4. Send spare clothes in a bag your child can recognize, and ask where they are kept.
  5. Read each weekly summary and celebrate small steps with your child.
  6. Get free help. Every state has at least one Parent Training and Information Center, which helps families understand IEPs at no cost.[4]

The CDC has plain-language information about autism and how it can affect daily skills.[5] For teachers on your child's team, the personal care participation goals guide covers children who need full support. Other daily skills, like handwashing, often go with a toileting goal. When your child is older, the page on life skills to practice at home by age has ideas for the next steps.

Frequently asked questions

Can a school refuse my child because they are not toilet trained?

Public schools must provide a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities, and toileting needs are part of planning that. If you are told your child cannot attend because of toileting, ask to discuss it at an IEP meeting and contact your Parent Training and Information Center.

Who changes my child at school?

Usually a trained paraprofessional or teacher, and sometimes the school nurse. The IEP or a separate plan should say who helps and how they were trained. You can ask to meet them and talk about your child's routine.

Should toileting be a goal or a support in the IEP?

Often both. A goal measures a skill your child is learning, such as asking to use the bathroom. Supports are what staff provide, such as a bathroom schedule, a picture sequence or help with clothing.

What if my child is trained at home but has accidents at school?

Tell the team. School bathrooms can be loud, unfamiliar or hard to reach in time. The plan might include a private bathroom, a schedule, or a way to ask quietly. A short period of data can show what is causing the accidents.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

  1. 34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
  2. FERPA, Protecting Student Privacy, U.S. Department of Education
  3. NASN Position Statement: Individualized Healthcare Plans (IHPs), Promoting Health and Learning for Students With Complex Needs (2025), National Association of School Nurses, Journal of School Nursing, via PubMed
  4. Center for Parent Information and Resources, CPIR
  5. About Autism Spectrum Disorder, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.

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