TPP 352a: Occupational Therapist Kelly Mahler on the Power in Understanding & Supporting Neurodivergent Kids’ Interoception Experience

I wanted to explore this concept of interoception and differently wired kids more deeply for the show, so I reached out to Kelly Mahler, an occupational therapist who specializes in interoception and is a co-principal investigator in several research projects pertaining to topics such as interoception, self-regulation, trauma, and autism.

Kelly answered my big questions about interoception, including how it relates to sensory processing differences or SPD, why it’s essential that we help our children get to know their bodies’ unique language, and the relationship between ADHD, autism, and interoception. We also talked about what happens in our kids’ brains when they increase their interoceptive awareness, and effective strategies for helping our kids develop in this area.

Things you'll learn from this episode:

* What interoception is and how it relates to sensory processing differences

* What the spectrum of interoception awareness is and how extremes may manifest

* The relationship between ADHD, autism, and interoception challenges

* How to support a child with poor interoception awareness to become more tuned in to their body’s internal experience

* What happens in our brains when we start to increase our interoception awareness

* How to help older kids who’ve been on the receiving end of compliance-based strategies to reconnect with and trust their bodies

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