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, and 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, emotionally. And it was only then, in the thick of it, that I realized just how hard it can be to know when something is really wrong when you’re neurodivergent.
Because when you’re autistic or 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 deficits in 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 yes getting sick. For neurodivergent people, those messages might come in late, scrambled, or not at all.
So instead of recognizing flu symptoms as they build, we might just feel “off” or irritable, but not really understand why. The body is trying to send a signal, but the brain’s ability to notice and translate that signal can be underdeveloped or inconsistent 🤷♀️
ADHD, Autism, and the “Push Through” Mentality ⚡️
On top of that, ADHD can add another layer: a tendency to ignore bodily needs in favor 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 realize 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 Oh. I’m ill. Like, flu-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 behavior 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 behavioral changes in neurodivergent kids often are 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 Kids) 💡
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,” building a habit of asking: How does my body feel? Am I tired? Is anything hurting? This can help build 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 kids. Giving children tools like body diagrams or emoji charts can help them connect internal sensations with words or pictures.
- Allow space for rest before the crash. When you’re neurodivergent, 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 behavior changes. Whether it’s in yourself or someone else, unexpected changes in mood, focus, or energy can be the body’s early SOS signal even if it doesn’t come with a fever (yet). 🚨
Final Thoughts ❤️
The flu reminded me how hard it is to be 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, don’t ignore it. It might be your nervous system waving a little red flag 🚩even if it doesn’t come with a diagnosis code or clear symptom checklist.
Rest matters. Listening to our bodies matters even when our bodies don’t speak very clearly.
The A List
