Why does your ND child say "I feel sick" when they don't appear to be sick? Why do they crash into furniture, hug too tight, or melt down at 3:30pm? This episode unpacks interoception and proprioception, the two body awareness systems behind so much confusing neurodivergent behaviour, and why sensory seeking kids so often get read as out of control.

Alison explains interoception as the internal body cues: hunger, thirst, a full bladder, temperature, tiredness, pain, and the physical sensations that come attached to emotions. For neurodivergent children and adults, the body is still sending those signals. The difficulty sits in noticing them, interpreting them, or responding early enough. Which means a child who has no language for overwhelm may only have one word available to them, and that word is sick.

Proprioception is the other half of the picture: where the body is in space, how much force it is using, where limbs are without looking at them. This is the child who jumps off everything, wrestles too hard, snaps pencil tips, leans on people constantly, or loves carrying heavy things and pushing trolleys. Alison walks through the kinds of big muscle group input that genuinely help, from climbing and swimming to carrying the washing basket, and reframes what looks like wild behaviour as a child trying to get something their body is asking for.

She also turns the lens back on parents. Do you recognise exhaustion before you are completely burnt out? Where do you hold tension? Alison shares her own experience as an inattentive ADHD and autistic adult, including hyper focus, movement seeking, and getting better at catching overstimulation before it spills onto everyone else.

The practical takeaway is data collection, not diagnosis. Get curious about what happened beforehand, what the body is doing, what input is being sought, and whether there is a pattern. If these things are significantly impacting daily life, an OT or other qualified allied health professional is the right next step rather than parents trying to work it out alone.

Behaviour makes far more sense once you understand the mind and body driving it.

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Disclaimer: Alison provides general information only, not prescriptive advice. Please consult your own health care practitioners for guidance specific to your family.