Encopresis question:

Hi Cathy.

I'm a school counselor who has been assigned to talk to a kindergarten boy who is messing his pants up to three times a week on purpose.

He has been punished at school and at home. He doesn't seem to care. He can make it through the week without doing it, so we know he can.

When he does it, his mom comes up to clean him. He normally goes back to class, but sometimes she takes him home. (I'm sure that's part of what he wants.)

Mom says that he simply doesn't care about anything, even when his dog died. His classmates don't know he's doing this yet because he stinks so bad that the teacher takes him out of class immediately. Last week, we made a deal that if he didn't do it all week, I would give him a treat on Friday. He made it.

Before I could even talk to him today (Monday) he had done it again. What should the parents be doing at home? How should the school handle this one? What can I do as a school counselor?

Please help!

David

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