Many of us take for granted our body’s ability to receive and understand in real time the signals our physical body is sending. However, for neurodivergent individuals, particularly those on the autism spectrum, this process can be much more complex. In this episode, we explore the concept of interoception, what Kelly Mahler has referred to as the eighth sense, and its profound impact on the lives of neurodivergent individuals.

While James Williams, an autistic self-advocate, didn’t struggle receiving these internal messages, the struggle to address his physical needs as a student was real. 

James has spoken publicly about autism and related disabilities since age 11. He is the author of eight autism-related books, and serves on the Steering Committee for the Wisconsin Community of Practice on Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Disabilities (ASD/DD). He is on staff for multiple anime conventions throughout the United States, where he also hosts panels on autism awareness designed for anime conventions. Finally, he is an active member of Glenbrook North High School’s Booster Club, his alma mater. He lives in Northbrook, Ill., and travels frequently to promote autism awareness.

Want more? These previous episodes may provide additional context on this topic:

• Episode 1: Introducing Chelsea's Vocation, the podcast, and Chelsea's family
• Episode 29: Applying the Medical Home Model

Here are topics, terms, and resources, in order of their appearance in the podcast, might evoke some curiosity:

• Kelly Mahler OTD, OTR/L https://www.kelly-mahler.com/ 
• OT = occupational therapist https://youtu.be/jhhdEQ4Z_d8 
• interoception: awareness of your body’s internal senses or signals https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/interoception
• Farb, Norman et al. “Interoception, contemplative practice, and health.” Frontiers in psychology vol. 6 763. 9 Jun. 2015, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00763 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4460802/ 
• dysregulation: In autistic individuals, stemming from neurological differences and sensory overload, appearing as a fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response to overwhelming environmental input.
• The DSM-5 (The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed., 2013) lists the diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder.
• McDonough, Molly. “Making Sense of Interoception: How we perceive what’s happening inside our bodies and what that means for our health.“ Harvard Medicine. Spring 2024. https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/making-sense-interoception
• Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs (MAPS) program-trained doctors treat children with autism, neuro-developmental disorders, and complex chronic conditions using an individualized, functional medicine approach. They focus on treating underlying biomedical issues such as gastrointestinal (GI), immune, metabolic, and mitochondrial dysfunction

Podcast includes an introduction for episodes 6 and following at the beginning. Transition music, "Taking a Vocation", by Noey Budde.

Closing narration for episodes 6 and following.