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Bedwetting and Your Special Needs Child

Finding the Right Approach

By Gwen Morrison

Absorbent underpants can be very helpful when working through bedwetting with your child. They allow your child to wake up feeling dry, increasing self-esteem and creating less laundry for you.

Not So Different

"My son is a special needs child," says Cate* of Aberdeen, S.D. "He was epileptic, but is now seizure free. He is still a chronic bedwetter at 7 years old. We put him to bed in GoodNites nightly and have decided for the time being that though there are medications we could use to help him, we will not try that yet as they can cause further developmental difficulties."

Cate says she takes a similar relaxed attitude with all of her children. "With our oldest, we just figure it's the least of our problems," she says.

Dr. Slater says he doesn't like to think of these kids as having "disabilities." He feels the approach should always be that of helping a child feel special in spite of the problem. To do this, as parents, we must build on the child's particular strengths, working on their weaknesses and always striving to help the child feel that he is successful.

"Don't allow the child to feel like a victim," Dr. Slater says. "Don't allow a child to feel that he can't do something or that he doesn't have to play by the same rules."

Dr. Slater stresses that the sky's the limit with any child – whether they have special needs or not.

* Last name withheld to protect privacy.