Interoception: How I Feel: Sensing My World from the Inside Out

Second Edition Expanded and UpdatedInteroception in children drives emotional regulation, executive function development, sensory processing integration, ADHD support, autism-informed practice, anxiety reduction, and classroom behavior intervention. This Second Edition reframes behavior challenges through nervous system regulation and pediatric occupational therapy.When behavior becomes the referral, something deeper is often being missed.Impulsivity. Emotional outbursts. Shutdown. Avoidance. Inattention. School refusal. Chronic pain. Toileting accidents. Executive dysfunction.They are nervous system signals.This fully revised Second Edition reframes behavior problems, emotional regulation difficulties, sensory processing challenges, and executive function deficits through the neuroscience of interoception, the brain’s ability to sense and integrate internal body signals.Interoceptive awareness shapes self-regulation, emotional awareness, body awareness, and readiness for learning. When children struggle with focus, transitions, frustration tolerance, hunger and fullness cues, bladder awareness, pain perception, or anxiety, difficulty sensing internal signals is often the underlying factor.At the center of this book is the Integrated Interoception Model™, a developmental framework showing how interoception organizes regulation, executive function skills, emotional control, participation, learning, and identity. Sensory systems converge through interoceptive processing to influence behavior and performance.Limited interoceptive processing can affect emotional regulation, executive functioning, sensory processing, anxiety, ADHD, autism, chronic pain, toileting awareness, and eating patterns.Blending neuroscience, pediatric occupational therapy, developmental psychology, and classroom intervention, this expanded Second Edition includes updated research, new case studies, and practical strategies for therapists, educators, school teams, and parents.Topics include the insula and interoceptive neurobiology, autonomic nervous system regulation, polyvagal-informed principles, executive function development, emotional awareness, trauma-informed approaches, and regulation-based classroom supports.Case examples across early childhood through adolescence illustrate how interoceptive differences influence behavior, learning, participation, and executive function.Practical tools include body mapping, visual scales, regulation-matching strategies, graded participation rooted in readiness, autonomic settling practices, and sensory-informed classroom supports.Grounded in current neuroscience and aligned with occupational therapy frameworks, this book supports evidence-informed practice in pediatric therapy, mental health, and education.The focus shifts from behavior management to nervous system regulation.Executive function strengthens when regulation is supported. Emotional regulation improves as interoceptive awareness grows. Participation expands when internal signals are understood.For professionals and caregivers seeking research-based strategies for emotional regulation in children, executive function intervention, sensory processing differences, ADHD support, autism-informed practice, anxiety reduction, and classroom behavior challenges, this Second Edition provides a clear and practical roadmap. The book also supports parents seeking practical tools for self-regulation skills.Ideal for school-based occupational therapists, early intervention providers, mental health clinicians, psychologists, and educators addressing behavior referrals, IEP goals, social-emotional learning, self-regulation skills for kids, and behavior intervention planning within trauma-sensitive classrooms. Interoception is foundational to learning, behavior, self-regulation, and connection. Read more