Just wondering why Abbie is in a diaper so much these days... She's was definitely in one in today's vlog, when she came down the stairs in those grey joggers.
2 years ago, she was basically toilet trained. But it comes across like there's been a lot of regression in that area over the last few months.
I mean, she's IDD, but she's got enough clout in her head to choose the perfect moment to run and jump in the pool. I suspect she's also got enough smarts to get properly toilet trained. I mean, they could just be "okay, you pooped in the pool. That's you done with swimming today." Or "No snack, you pooped in the pool." She's 15. She's not an infant. The lack of discipline Abbie gets drives me nuts. They just seem to reward her bad behaviour. You don't want her throwing herself in the pool? Build a fence! It's actually not rocket science.
Abbie isn't toilet trained and I don't think she ever has been completely. I think you're right that a couple years ago she could go for longer periods of time without wearing a pullup but she was still wearing one every night.
I think she's almost always wearing one now, sometimes it just looks bulkier than others. I think it depends on if it's a regular pull-up or a swim diaper. It could also be affected by if she needs changing or not. Gross, I know.
Abbie's cognitive abilities are both limited and inconsistent. Just because she's quicker in one area doesn't mean it will carry over to other areas. I think our parents of kids with autism and autistic individuals themselves can confirm this. I've often read that a common issue with autistic kids (even teenagers) are bathroom related (not being toilet trained).
Also, think about the amount of times Abbie has signed 'bathroom' and A&P just ignore it or dismiss it. They've said that she'll use that sign to get out of doing something she doesn't want to do. While I'm sure that's true some of the time, it's not true all of the time. There have probably been times she really did need to go to the bathroom and A&P said no. Even if she is using it as way to get out of doing something, just take her to the bathroom every time she asks and it will lose it's appeal to use it as an excuse.
The bottom line is that A&P can't be bothered to put in the time and effort and consistency to properly toilet train Abbie. They are lazy and don't want to put in the work.
Also, yes Abbie is 15, but she isn't a neurotypical 15 year old. You can't expect her to understand and react like one. Mentally she's a lot closer to an infant than a teenager.
***Edited to add: that should say - I think our parents of kids w. autism and autistic individuals on this site can confirm this...