A component analysis of toilet-training procedures recommended for young children.
Put the child in underwear first—training moves faster than starting with timed sits or praise alone.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tested three parts of a toilet-training package. They used underwear, a dense sit schedule, and praise for success.
Each child started with a different piece. The goal was to see which part mattered most for quick training.
What they found
Most kids did not train with sits or praise alone. Once underwear was added, accidents dropped and self-initiation rose.
Starting with underwear cut the total training days for every child.
How this fits with other research
Moya et al. (2022) looked at 21 component studies. Only half found one piece that did all the work. The rest needed the full set.
That review includes the present toilet study. It shows underwear can be the single key piece, but only for toileting.
Noda et al. (2009) also packaged prompts, models, and praise. Their posture program needed every piece to hit 90% success.
Together the papers say: test each part. Sometimes one piece is enough, sometimes you need the stack.
Why it matters
You can save days by starting with underwear instead of building up from timed sits. Run a quick component check before you assemble a big package. If the child stays dry with underwear plus praise, you can drop the dense sit schedule and free up staff time.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
We evaluated the combined and sequential effects of 3 toilet-training procedures recommended for use with young children: (a) underwear, (b) a dense sit schedule, and (c) differential reinforcement. A total of 20 children participated. Classroom teachers implemented a toilet-training package consisting of all 3 procedures with 6 children. Of the 6 children, 2 showed clear and immediate improvements in toileting performance, and 3 showed delayed improvements. Teachers implemented components of the training package sequentially with 12 children. At least 2 of the 4 children who experienced the underwear component after baseline improved. Toileting performance did not improve for any of the 8 children who were initially exposed to either the dense sit schedule or differential reinforcement. When initial training components were ineffective, teachers implemented additional components sequentially until toileting performance improved or all components were implemented. Toileting performance often improved when underwear or differential reinforcement was later added.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2016 · doi:10.1002/jaba.275