We've had several "kid shitting on themselves" topics of late, which sparked my curiosity. I did a quick search about it and ran across numerous sites and article about it. Overwhelmingly, blogs, sites, and articles by and for parents blame it on the known physical reason which is basically the kid becomes constipated, holds in his poop, and then suffers from involuntary leakage causing the soiling. It's known as "encopresis". The gentle discipline approach is the norm and they generally claim that shaming and punishing the kid is ineffective and the treatment mostly involves laxatives, diet high in fiber and water , positive reinforcement, LOTS of hugs and kisses, and other things like keeping a poop diary.
The information geared by and written by predominantly parents nearly completely ignore it is generally thought to be a behavioral behavioral problem and instead focus on the physical problem allegedly causing it. Articles like this one on a Moo forum below are typical. I have included excerpts under the link to the article: My commentary in red:Kids shitting themselves from a parents' point of view:http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sick/encopresis.html
Most encopresis cases (90%) are due to functional constipation — that is, constipation that has no medical cause. The stool (or BM) is hard, dry, and difficult to pass when a person is constipated. Many kids "hold" their BMs to avoid the pain they feel when they go to the bathroom, which sets the stage for having a poop accident.
They too say it's "functional" without a medical cause, but it's a different take on it than the expert opinion below.Well-intentioned advice from family members and friends isn't always helpful because many people mistakenly believe that encopresis is a behavioral issue — a simple lack of self-control. Frustrated parents, grandparents, and caregivers may advocate various punishments and consequences for the soiling — which only leaves the child feeling even more alone, angry, depressed, or humiliated. Up to 20% of kids with encopresis experience feelings of low self-esteem that require the intervention of a psychologist or counselor.
Punishing or humiliating a child with encopresis will only make matters worse............... So, what causes the hard poop in the first place? Any number of things,
including diet, illness, decreased fluid intake, fear of the toilet during toilet teaching, or limited access to a toilet or a toilet that's not private (like at school). Some kids may develop chronic constipation after stressful life events such as a divorce or the death of a close relative. Whatever the cause, once a child begins to hold his or her BMs, the poop begins to accumulate in the rectum and may back up into the colon and a vicious cycle begins.
After they go on about using stool softeners and adding fiber and water to the kid's diet, they start in on crunchy moo "treatment": A good way to keep track of your child's progress is by
keeping a daily poop calendar. Make sure to note the frequency, consistency (i.e., hard, soft, dry), and size (i.e., large, small) of the BMs.
Patience is the key to treating encopresis. It may take anywhere from several months to a year for the stretched-out colon to return to its normal size and for the nerves in the colon to become effective again.......Provide a small incentive, such as a star or sticker on the poop calendar, for having a BM or even just for trying, sitting on the toilet, or taking medications.
Whatever you do, don't blame or yell — it will only make your child feel bad and it won't help manage the condition. Show lots of love and support and, assure your child that he or she isn't the only one in the world with this problem. With time and understanding, your child can overcome encopresis...."
THEN, we have an article written by a kid medical professional and get a MUCH different perspective on this kid shitting on themselves phenomenon, excerpts included below as well as the link:Kids shitting on themselves from an expert point of view:http://www.encopresis.org/
"...Encopresis is
behaviorally defined as fecal soiling in inappropriate places in children at four-years-of age or older.
Dr. Robert W. Collins, PhD, PC
Soiling Solutions®
P. O. Box 293
Spring Lake, MI 49456-0293
"...It is most commonly associated with children who avoid the toilet stool, hide to toilet, and become overly dependent on wearing diapers or pull-ups.
Encopresis is a functional disorder in 95 percent of cases with no physical basis.This is very frustrating for both physicians and parents as they seek physical causes. Indeed, Encopresis, in and of itself,
may result in severe medical and psychological consequences which can then negatively affect future treatment.
The best known
medical consequence of encopresis is an enlarged colon or megacolon due to an overlearned
dependence on the holding reflex for attempts to avoid accidents. This compromises the colon's ability to function
properly. The major medical specialty for encopresis is Pediatric Gastroenterology (PedGI). The PedGI can
diagnose this condition which is also known as Functional Fecal Retention or FFR. The favored treatment today
is to medicate with stool softeners and laxatives to attempt to keep the stool soft and promote passage (and
leakage for many children).
The rationale is that under this condition the colon will shrink back to a more normal condition and regain its
functionality. This can happen in 40 to 60 percent of children with Encopresis within one year .... up to 80 percent
in one study after eight years with lots of encouragement insisting that a child will grow out of it.
Effective alternative treatments have now become available giving parents more choices and more rapid results.Â
The leading alternative and only home-based treatment is Soiling Solutions ® (SS) which is detailed in the Clean
Kid Manual (CKM) authored by Dr. Robert W. Collins. The CKM is available from the store at
http://encopresis.com/zencart/. Purchase of the CKM results in an automatic registration on the SS Parents’
Forum which includes other parents using the manual.Â................... This sounds like the majority of shitters, a whopping 95%, have behavioral problems causing it rather than physical medical problems. This doctor appears to believe the symptoms and consequences of it are the RESULT, not the cause, unlike the parental point of view. If I had money to burn I'd order that "Clean Kid Manual" to see what advice and course of treatment this doctor recommends. I'd be willing to wager it is quite different than what we see recommended in parenting magazines where breeders absolve themselves of blame and/or flock to "experts" who back their theories of the kid shitting problem.I'd like to add that in most of these kids shitting on themselves cases, it doesn't seem to simply be "leakage" from being constipated, but instead it's outright shitting normal turds.------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------
If YOU are the "exception" to what I am saying, then why does my commentary bother you so much?
I don't hate your kids, I HATE YOU!