II am the mom of a six-yr-old who is already experiencing many of the symptoms of this condition. I have scanned through the messages and did not see anything about young children who are struggling with this. He will not defecate in the toilet, but cannot explain why.He just says he won't. He holds it and holds it until some leaks out and then just lets it all out in his pants. It seems like he doesn't have a problem in going, just the toilet part. When he was about 2 or 3, he didn't go for several days (he was using the commode up to this point), and when I gave him a suppository, everything came out but it was painful. That seemed to be the start. He can hold it in for a week easily. I keep trying to explain that the longer he keeps it in the more it builds up, but he'd rather hold it than use the toilet. I think he holds it to avoid getting in trouble, but if we said it was OK, I think he'd go in his pants everyday. He is socially awkward and seems overly sensitive to new situations. I started noticing this right after he was born. He is very weird about things like foods and being the center of attention. I describe it as being wound up too tight. Has anyone had any experience with trying to deal with this phobia in a young child? It is now causing problems in school, which is ironic because the smell makes people notice him more. I don't know where to start. Thanks for any input.