Soiling in Children and Adolescents: A Practical Guide for Parents, Teachers, and Caregivers

Alexander von Gontard; Prof., MD is affiliated with the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Saarland UniversityHospital, Homburg, Germany

Aims of this guideHow should I use this guide?1 General Information on Soiling1.1 Does this sound familiar to you?1.2 What is the definition of soiling?1.3 What types of soiling are there?1.4 How common is soiling?1.5 What are the causes of soiling?1.6 If common prejudices about soiling arenot true, how can soiling be explained?1.7 Could my soiling child have a psychologicalproblem?1.8 Why does my child also wet?1.9 Which examinations are needed for theassessment of soiling?1.10 How should soiling be treated?2 Soiling With Constipation2.1 How do you recognize soiling with constipation?2.2 How does soiling with constipationdevelop?2.3 How do you treat soiling with constipation?2.4 When are laxatives necessary?2.5 How is disimpaction performed?2.6 What happens during the maintenancephase?2.7 What is toilet training?2.8 What to do if treatment fails?2.9 What can I do if my child has specialneeds?3 Soiling Without Constipation3.1 What is soiling without constipation?3.2 How do you treat soiling without constipation?4 Toilet Refusal4.1 How does toilet refusal develop?4.2 How do you treat toilet refusal?5 Soiling With Wetting5.1 How does soiling with wetting develop?5.2 What is the definition of daytime wetting?5.3 What is bedwetting?5.4 How is wetting assessed?5.5 How do you treat daytime wetting?5.6 How do you treat bedwetting?5.7 How do you treat combined soiling andwetting?6 Soiling and Psychological Problems6.1 How common are psychological problemsand disorders in children who soil?6.2 How do you assess psychologicaldisorders?6.3 How do you treat soiling if psychologicalproblems or disorders are present?6.4 Where can you treat soiling and psychologicaldisorders?7 Concluding RemarksFurther ReadingAppendicesAppendix 1: Soiling QuestionnaireAppendix 2: 48-Hour Toilet ChartAppendix 3: Drinking ChartAppendix 4: Toilet Training Chart for ParentsAppendix 5: Toilet Training Chart for Children