MY BODY IS TELLING ME SOMETHING: Interoception and Body-Signal for Autistic

Description

My Body Is Telling Me Something An Interoception and Body-Signal Toolkit for Autistic Children

Help autistic children notice, communicate, and respond to important signals from inside their bodies—without pressure to identify every sensation correctly.

My Body Is Telling Me Something is a comprehensive, neurodiversity-affirming interoception toolkit designed to support body awareness, functional communication, self-advocacy, health, and everyday participation. It can be used by parents, homeschoolers, special education teachers, occupational therapists, speech-language professionals, counselors, and other support providers.

Interoception is the ability to notice and interpret internal body sensations. These signals may relate to hunger, fullness, thirst, toileting, pain, body temperature, breathing, heartbeat, fatigue, illness, digestion, muscle tension, movement needs, and emotions.

Autistic children may notice some signals intensely, recognize others very late, experience sensations suddenly, or have difficulty describing what they feel. This does not mean that they are being careless, oppositional, or uncooperative.

This toolkit teaches a gentle three-step process:

1. Notice: What do I feel in my body?
2. Consider: What are some possible meanings?
3. Respond: What safe support can I try?

The resource does not teach children that one body signal always has one meaning. For example, a racing heart could be connected to excitement, fear, physical activity, illness, pain, medication, dehydration, or something else. Children are encouraged to use responses such as “I don’t know,” “Help me check,” and “That did not help.”

Skills and Body Signals Covered

• Hunger and eating needs
• Fullness and eating comfort
• Thirst and hydration
• Bladder and urination signals
• Bowel and constipation signals
• Pain and injury
• Hot, cold, and body temperature
• Breathing and heartbeat
• Fatigue, sleepiness, and energy
• Nausea, digestion, and illness
• Muscle tension and movement needs
• Physical sensations connected to emotions

What Is Included?

• Interoception introduction and caregiver guide
• Respectful adult-language suggestions
• Child participation choices
• Individual Body-Signal Profile
• Whole-Body Check-In
• Notice–Consider–Respond planning pages
• Hunger, thirst, fullness, and toileting worksheets
• Pain and illness communication supports
• Temperature, breathing, fatigue, and digestion pages
• Emotional body-clue activities
• Body-Signal Communication Cards
• Body Map and Location Notes
• Body Detective Pattern Tracker
• Before-and-After Body Comparison
• Adult Observation Without Guessing guide
• School and Nurse Communication Plan
• Medical Appointment Preparation form
• Emergency Warning-Sign Reference
• Personal Body-Support Plan
• Portable Body Check-In Cards
• Blank customizable communication cards
• Home–School Body-Signal Profile
• Four-Week Gentle Practice Plan
• Progress Review
• Research and further-reading page

Children Can Learn to Communicate:

• I notice something
• I don’t know what it means
• Help me check
• Give me time
• I am hungry or thirsty
• I need the bathroom
• Something hurts
• I feel sick
• I need rest
• It is too hot or cold
• It is hard to breathe
• That helped
• That did not help
• I feel worse
• I need medical help

The activities can be completed through speech, AAC, pointing, typing, writing, drawing, gesture, eye gaze, partner-assisted scanning, or adult observation. Children may also choose not to participate or return to an activity later.

Perfect For:

• Autistic children and tweens
• Children with ADHD or sensory differences
• Nonspeaking and minimally speaking children
• AAC users
• Children who have difficulty recognizing hunger or thirst
• Toileting and bathroom-awareness support
• Pain and illness communication
• Emotional and sensory self-awareness
• Occupational therapy
• Speech and language therapy
• Special education classrooms
• Homeschool families
• School nurse communication
• IEP and life-skills instruction
• Parent-professional collaboration

This toolkit does not require children to label sensations correctly before receiving food, water, bathroom access, rest, communication, sensory support, or medical care. Adults are encouraged to remain curious, consider several possible explanations, observe patterns over time, and seek professional guidance for concerning symptoms.

The goal is not perfect body awareness. The goal is to help children notice what may be happening, communicate in a reliable way, try a safe support, and receive appropriate adult or medical help when needed.

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