What is Interoception?
This sense is hard at work all of the time! It monitors your entire body - body parts like the heart, lungs, stomach, bladder, muscles, skin, and even your eyeballs - and collecting information about how these body parts feel (Kelly Mahler, 2023)
It involves the ability to perceive and interpret signals from within the body, providing individuals with information about their physiological condition.
Interoception is an important aspect of self-awareness and is closely related to emotional experiences and bodily sensations. It can influence an individual's emotional state, as it allows them to detect and respond to physiological changes associated with different emotions, such as increased heart rate when feeling anxious or a stomachache when experiencing stress.
Overall, interoception is a fundamental sensory system that contributes to an individual's perception of their internal bodily state and plays a significant role in their overall well-being and self-awareness.
Use this infographic to better understand what interoception is, what to look for, and how to provide support for students in the classroom.
Confused about interoceptive awareness vs a compliance approach to regulation?
Ask your school's OT for Tier 1 interoception activities for the whole class! The OT can help students identify their internal bodily state to help support their sensory regulation skills!
These websites provide additional resources for learning about and supporting a child's/student's interoception!