Incontinence not only affects a child’s self-esteem, it can also prove costly in terms of products and time. But, for many disabled children, continence is achieveable if the right training is given early on, say Valerie Klimach and Amanda Williams-Jones

The continence service in the local health trust is changing to become increasingly nurse led. So far, the emphasis has been on typically developing children. The authors were concerned that issues around continence in children with disabilities attending special schools should also be addressed and this study sets out to clarify the extent and nature of the problems and facilitate looking at ways to address them.