Investigating interoception and body awareness in adults with and without autism spectrum disorder

This study aimed to investigate the current gap in the literature with regard to how adults with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) interpret elements of the interoceptive sense, which includes thirst, hunger, temperature, satiety, and the prediction of onset of illness. Adults with a diagno...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAutism research Vol. 8; no. 6; p. 709
Main Authors Fiene, Lisa, Brownlow, Charlotte
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.12.2015
Subjects
Adult
Autism Spectrum Disorder - psychology
Awareness - physiology
Female
Humans
Interoception - physiology
Male
Self Concept
Surveys and Questionnaires
Autism
ASD
Asperger's syndrome
interoception
thirst
body awareness
temperature
hunger
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Summary:This study aimed to investigate the current gap in the literature with regard to how adults with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) interpret elements of the interoceptive sense, which includes thirst, hunger, temperature, satiety, and the prediction of onset of illness. Adults with a diagnosed ASD (n = 74; 36 males, 38 females) were compared to a control group (n = 228; 53 males, 174 females, 1 unspecified) in their self-reported perceptions of body awareness utilizing the Body Awareness Questionnaire (BAQ) and thirst awareness using the Thirst Awareness Scale (TAS). Those in the ASD group reported a clinically significant lower body and thirst awareness compared to the control group, and this was a large effect (BAQ; d = -1.26, P < 0.001; TAS; d = -1.02, P < 0.001). These findings are of clinical importance, as difficulty with sensing internal bodily states could theoretically impact on the physical and mental health, social interactions and self-awareness of adults with ASD.
ISSN:1939-3806
DOI:10.1002/aur.1486