Stool Withholding Social Story

Social story to support children who are holding their poo in, also known as stool withholding. There are different reasons that children may do this including previous experiences of pain or trauma. This social story reassures them that it is OK to feel scared but that they do not need to and that holding their poo inside or having accidents in their underwear can be equally uncomfortable. It also explains ways to make it more comfortable when they poo.

The point of a social story is to use a patient and reassuring tone to teach children about social situations in a way that can be easily understood. Social stories can be useful for any child who is struggling to understand a situation or concept or needs help to understand a social skill or social cue, expectations, perspectives, common responses or is troubled about an upcoming event but social stories are particularly useful for children on the autistic spectrum for whom social cues can be challenging and who often suffer anxiety if they do not know what to expect from a situation.

These books should be used over and over to reinforce the point so I would suggest either putting the pages into a display book or laminating and binding them.

Clipart images courtesy of Kari Bolt Clip Art