When Your Body Doesn’t Send Clear Signals: Illness, Interoception, and Neurodivergence

It’s been a rough few weeks.

The flu swept through our house like an unexpected storm, starting with my daughter, who crashed hard and fast. Then, just as she began to recover, it hit me like a freight train. What I thought might be a few days of discomfort turned into weeks of exhaustion, fever, and brain fog. I was wiped out physically, mentally, and emotionally.

It was only then, in the thick of it, that I realised just how hard it can be to know when something is really wrong when you’re neurodivergent.

Because when you’re autistic, have ADHD, or both, your ability to check in with yourself isn’t always what it could be.

The Invisible Barrier: Interoception and Neurodivergence

Many people take it for granted that they can tell when they’re getting sick. A headache here, a bit of fatigue there, and suddenly there’s a clear signal that something’s not right. But for those of us with autism or ADHD, the line between everyday sensory noise and actual illness can be a blur.

That’s largely due to challenges with interoception, our internal sense of what’s happening in the body. It’s like the body’s internal messaging system, letting us know if we’re tired, hungry, hot, cold, or getting sick. For neurodivergent people, those messages might come in late, scrambled, or not at all.

So instead of recognising flu symptoms as they build, we might just feel “off” or irritable, without really understanding why. The body is trying to send a signal, but the brain’s ability to notice and translate that signal can be inconsistent or underdeveloped.

ADHD, Autism, and the “Push Through” Mentality

On top of that, ADHD can add another layer: a tendency to ignore bodily needs in favour of focus or hyperfocus, or simply because we’ve learned to push through discomfort without noticing how bad it’s getting.

If you already live with low energy or chronic sensory overwhelm, the early signs of illness may not stand out enough to register.

For me, I didn’t realise how sick I actually was until I literally couldn’t get out of bed. I had already been running on fumes for days, brushing off the fatigue as stress or bad sleep. It wasn’t until I physically crashed that I understood I was truly ill.

Kids and Interoception: When They Can’t Say What’s Wrong

Watching my daughter go through it first reminded me how tough this can be for children too, especially neurodivergent kids.

When she first started feeling unwell, she couldn’t explain it. Her behaviour changed, more meltdowns, more shutdowns, but she didn’t say she felt sick. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she didn’t know how to identify what was happening in her body.

It’s a reminder that behaviour changes in neurodivergent children are often their way of expressing physical discomfort. They may not say, “My throat hurts,” but they might lash out more, cry easily, or retreat completely. That’s their communication, even if it’s not in words.

Practical Takeaways: How We Can Help Ourselves and Our Children

So what can we do, knowing that flu season and all kinds of sickness will come again?

  • Create a body check-in routine: Even when things seem fine, build a habit of asking, “How does my body feel? Am I tired? Is anything hurting?” This can help develop interoceptive awareness over time.

  • Track patterns: If someone suddenly becomes more sensitive, emotional, or withdrawn, consider illness as a possibility, even if they don’t say they feel sick.

  • Use visuals or body maps with children: Tools like body diagrams or simple charts can help children connect internal sensations with words or images.

  • Allow space for rest before the crash: For neurodivergent people, rest shouldn’t be a last resort. If things feel “off,” it’s okay to slow down, even if you can’t yet name the reason.

  • Trust behaviour changes: Unexpected shifts in mood, focus, or energy can be the body’s early signal, even if there’s no fever or obvious symptom yet.

Final Thoughts

The flu reminded me how hard it can be to live inside a body that doesn’t always give clear signals, and a brain that doesn’t always pick them up.

For those of us navigating life with autism or ADHD, staying tuned into ourselves can take real effort and support.

So next time your brain whispers, “Something feels off,” try not to ignore it. It might be your nervous system waving a small red flag, even if it doesn’t come with a clear symptom checklist.

Rest matters. Listening to our bodies matters, even when our bodies don’t speak very clearly.

By Kylie Gardner
The A List