Abstract
Bowel movement hygiene is an essential life skill. Autistic children can have difficulties attaining this skill. There is limited research exploring postbowel movement hygiene (PBMH) and autism. This study explores factors of PBMH for autistic children. An online survey was developed, included open and closed questions, and distributed via Facebook groups. It was completed by N = 74 parents. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to analyze the data. Statistically significant correlations were found between variables related to the sensory and motor aspects of PBMH, scared of sitting on toilet and refusal to engage in PBMH (p ≤ 0.5). Four qualitative themes were identified: toilet paper, difficulties in reaching the bottom, health related factors, and successful strategies used by parents. Future research is needed to strengthen the validity of these findings and produce practice guidelines for occupational therapists working in this area.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 5464138 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-12 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Occupational Therapy International |
| Volume | 2026 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 28 Mar 2026 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 28 Mar 2026 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright © 2026 Nadine Stacey et al. Occupational Therapy International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Data Availability Statement
Data cannot be shared publicly because of ethical restrictions on sharingsensitive data. Access to the data can be provided following a successfulapplication to Ulster University's Nursing and Health Research EthicsFilter Committee. Ulster University's Research Portal contains meta-data on the dataset and instructions on how to request access to thisdataset. This information can be accessed at (DOI under development)Funding
No funding was received for this manuscript.
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
Keywords
- Humans
- Male
- Female
- Child
- Autistic Disorder
- Hygiene
- Parents/psychology
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Child, Preschool
- Defecation
- Occupational Therapy
- Bottom wiping
- Autism
- bottom wiping
- autism
- Parents - psychology
- occupational therapy
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