Why do people spread feces when they are upset?

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I am fascinated by this. I was speaking to an Autism parent the other day and she told me that her preteen son had done this once when he was completely overwhelmed and put into a confinement room at school. I have also known other people who have done this when they felt overwhelmed or upset. I am really interested in understanding why people would choose this particular behavior.

When I am completely overwhelmed or upset, even to the point of physical collapse, it would never cross my mind to even think to go to the bathroom and spread it all over the walls. I would never even conceive of such a thing. So I want to understand what would drive someone to think of doing that particular act. If anyone has even done this, or if anyone understands this, please let me know. I think that if we can understand the reason behind it, we can help people so that they don't feel the need to have to do it. I can't imagine that it is a fun thing to do or that they enjoy it. If there is a way to understand so that people don't get pushed to the edge and to the point where they feel like that is their only option, that would be a really good thing. My heart broke for this little boy when his mom told me that he did this at school. And the room they confined him in had a glass window so everyone could see him. No one should ever be pushed to that point of frustration. If anyone can help me understand more about why this happens, please do.

I think that it’s sometimes a way to get attention for lower functioning folks, and it’s sure to get attention every.single.time!

In a confinement/padded room, people get put there when they are in the midst of an extreme episode and are a danger to themselves or others. There’s nothing in there to throw or destroy, so people sometimes work with what they’ve got by either taking off their clothes or by doing something worse... It’s boring in those rooms, and they are there because they are angry.

A boy in a special education life skills class I was subbing in sometimes throws poop. I’m really glad that he didn’t do it that day. He is extremely oppositional and has a rough home life in which he doesn’t get attention unless he does something like this. Then it becomes the go to way of getting attention or getting back at someone because it’s effective and gets results.

Occasionally, it can be a sensory experience for sensory seeking individuals (with severe mental impairments), especially in sensory-deprived environments.

It’s usually a clear sign of severe mental problems. Toddlers occasionally engage in this behavior if their diapers aren’t changed often enough. Sometimes the behavior carries on from early childhood. I’m not saying that’s what’s going on with your friend’s kid! It’s just the case sometimes.

I never done this in my life.

My (late) grandfather used to do this in the care home he lived in. He had Alzheimer's. Whenever he got angry or frustrated, he would pee up the wall or spread poop on the wall, or even throw his poop across the room.

I wonder if the reasons an autistic/other special ed kid would do this are the same as an Alzheimer's patient's?

The kid I know who did it has Down’s Syndrome (and an awful home life). I wouldn’t be surprised if he also has something like schizophrenia because he had some very odd behavior that wouldn’t be explained by DS...

I just think it’s something that shows up in people with severe impairments who typically, but not always, have limited cognitive functioning. I’d imagine that the reasons would be similar. Having Alzheimer’s would be very frustrating.

You asked why children do this. ASD children in particular tend to enjoy the sensation of it, after stumbling upon it through incidental action. If he/she enjoys the sensation of it (not all do thankfully), then they might be reinforced by that sensation and over time, through lack of other acceptable stimuli in which they can find enjoyment, this pattern of behaviour becomes reinforced.

It's important to realise that as with so many other behavioural issues, parent/adult response can have great bearing on the length of time this behaviour continues. Any negative reaction actually makes the problem worse as any atention is 'good' attention to the ASD child. Over time, it can become a very powerful communication ploy with Mum or carer approaching everytime (with the child expecting you to aproach). This is why it's important to approach after a random period of time without any fuss and direct the child to an acceptable activity for which he/she can be reinforced after 30 seconds or so. The same applies to deliberate urinating or vomiting and self-injurious behaviour. If a child is having their stimulatory needs met and enjoying a busy, structured routine, you'll likely see less of this type of behaviour. I've worked with children who previously displayed smearing behaviours, and helped to eradicate smearing from their home.

Many adults have also needed re-training after presenting with this wonderful pattern of behaving ... In Kew Cottages in Melbourne, from 1982 - '85, 4 of 15 young adult clients in a morning program smeared, threw and ate their own faeces. It took about 2+ years to train them out of this pattern of behaviour.

At a secondary level, social problems arise when concerned adults make a fuss over this.

Not something I ever did. It grosses me out to even think about it.

I think normal people do this too. I think it's gross and maybe they do it because they do it as a protest to punish you because they know it's disgusting and you now have to clean it up. My daughter does this when she isn't even mad and I make her clean it up each time now. I figure she will get tired of cleaning it up and she hates having to wipes feces off the wall so that is why I make her do it. Don't want to clean it up, don't make the mess. Some people will even go in a public restroom and do this. I wonder what made them do it, did they get mad there or something about their order or what so they went in there and spread their feces all over or peed all over the place?

Me and my brothers never spread feces on the wall, not even when we were upset.

From what I've heard it's a sensory thing.

I can't imagine any "normal" (neurotypical) person doing this though. It's just not the done thing. It may be expected more among some with dementia, autism, intellectual disabilities, downs syndrome etc, and toddlers, but otherwise I don't think I have ever heard of anyone doing this (except for my grandfather but he had dementia).

Different people do the same thing for different reasons

I have not done that before

Germs

But I am not telepathic so I don't know what is going on in someone else's head

It could be subconscious

I’m with you on this.

The only possible scenario of “normal” kids doing this that I can think of is with toddlers whose diapers aren’t changed enough. They get itchy, put their hands in their diapers, and then start rubbing it on the walls. I suppose that it then could become a habitual thing as well as a coping mechanism for neglect in young children, especially if they are in a sensory deprived environment.

Of course, there are probably some sort of exceptions, but I’d imagine they’d be the exception rather than the rule.

No “normal” child over the age of about 3 would do this.

It’s normal behavior for a 1 to 2 year old toddler.

I had a caregiver who had a doctorate in psychology. She specialized in forensic psychology and had worked in the prisons. She said there was an inmate who did amazing drawings with his feces on the wall. She tried to get them to give him crayons but they didn't think he was "stable" enough.

That’s true. Prisoners do this.

It’s because they’ve been confined so long, and don’t feel they have any other “recourse” other than to throw and smear feces.

I think it’s a problem when kids of this age do it. I changed my son immediately. Why would someone let their kid sit in a dirty diaper?

Little kids, it is said, smear feces because it is “a part of them.”

They also might not comprehend that feces is not an object for play. They might think it’s the same as PlayDoh.