Interoception Archives - More Than Quirky

Chronic pain or Chronic complaining?

September 12, 2023

There are many reason why neurodivergent children (and adults) experience chronic or frequent pain. If your child expresses that they are feeling pain, please don’t assume they are being attention seeking or hypochondriacal, or imagining it. While the experience of pain, or the expression of it, might differ to neurotypical behaviours, it is no less valid. Especially given the number of perfectly rational explanations ND people have for chronic pain that neurotypical people are far[…]

Q&A: Why Won’t My Child Do Simple Tasks?

May 24, 2023

Q. My kid often says they can’t do something I have asked them to do like getting their shoes from the cupboard but I know it’s something they can do. If I ask them why they can’t do it they say they don’t know why. What can I do to make this easier? Mum of autistic daughter aged 5-8 A. This is a really common situation for autistic children, and children with ADHD (and adults!),[…]

Internal Conflict

April 12, 2023

Part of being autistic that people don’t often talk about is the internal struggle. There’s a lot of talk about sensory sensitivities, specific likes and dislikes, avoidant behaviours, and fears. What is rarely mentioned is when these things occur in direct conflict with each other, potentially leading to significant distress. Take, for example, an autistic child who enjoys the sensory experience of swimming. They also enjoy social interaction. Their family is on a holiday, and[…]

Why So Hangry? Interoception Processing Issues

March 27, 2023

I used to get hangry a lot. Not feisty hangry, usually. Just seriously low-tolerance for nonsense hangry. I also used to frequently get afternoon headaches. I “cured” them each day with coffee or soft drink, because it felt like a dire need for caffeine/sugar. I’ve been noted to have a “bladder of steel” because I tend not to use plane toilets even on long haul flights without any problem, or to need the bathroom on[…]