Interoception

Awareness of internal body signals including hunger, thirst, toileting needs, temperature, and physiological markers of emotion.

Examples & Achievements

• Tells an adult when hungry or thirsty before becoming distressed
• Uses the toilet proactively rather than waiting until urgent
• Identifies "my tummy feels funny" when anxious
• Knows when they are too hot or too cold and adjusts (removes jacket, etc.)

How to Measure

• Independently initiates toileting with no accidents for 2+ weeks
• Reports hunger/thirst verbally before meltdown (parent report)
• Can point to where in body they feel a named emotion