What is interoception?

Sensory integration

﻿Hi. My name is Anele, and I'm one of the occupational therapists. In this unit, we are going to look at interoception, a really big word, but actually, all it means is, we're going to look at all the sensations that you get from inside your body. So we're going to look at all your internal organs. And we are going to do this step by step. So in this lesson, we are only going to see, what does interoception mean? We as therapists have tried to think of the best way to continue to support children, young people, and their families. We will be exploring topic areas that we regularly provide advice and support on, across all ages and abilities. Each lesson will have ideas and activities that can be carried out at home, or in school. This information is to be used alongside any specific strategies, or resources, which have been given by your child's school or therapist. If you have any questions, or would like help tethering this to your child's needs, then please contact your local therapy service. So what is interoception? Well it's quite a long word, but but actually if we break it up, you will see that it's made up of two words: interior, and ception. So interior means inside, and ception is a shortened word for perception, which is how we are aware of things, or how we process information. So that's what we're going to learn today about. We're going to learn about the inside of our body, and how we perceive the senses from our bodies, and from our organs inside. So one of the things we're going to make is we're going to make some models. So you will need some Play-Doh, or salt dough, or even modelling clay. And you're going to need some pens and paper. So get all of that ready, and when you've got it all together, press play, and we will carry on with this lesson. Okay. So the inside of my body, so what? Well, it's a really, really important thing, because how I feel inside helps me to be safe. It helps me to be healthy. It also helps me to make things with my feelings. And it also helps me to make decisions to play, learn, and be independent. So it's pretty important. When we look at inside-my-body sense, we are going to look at different systems, and different organs in our body. So we're going to learn about our heart rate, our lungs and our breath. We're going to find out a little bit more about feeling hungry and thirsty. We're also going to look at our bladders, and what happens when our body feel worried, and when it feels relaxed. And finally, we're going to look at temperature. What happens when our body feels hot or cold? Let's make some body organs. You're going to need to ask your parents to help you. Your parent or your carer, so please ask them to come alongside, and help you draw, and make the inside of your bodies. So, first of all, you're going to help you to think and have a chat with your parent or carer about all the different organs in your body. See how many you can think about, and write them down. And next, you're going to ask your parent or carer to have a look at some magazines or maybe use the internet, to look at some pictures of where these body organs are, and what they look like. And have a chat, what you think they may be doing. What are their jobs? What are these organs' jobs. So an organ is something like a heart or a lung. So once you've done that, next you're going to draw a person, the outline of a person, and you're going to draw the brain, the heart, lungs, and stomach. So you can also use your clay to make models of these. So you're going to have a go now at doing this. So press the video here and pause it to complete your task. And then once you've finished, you can press play again, and we will carry on with this lesson. Brilliant. I am really, really impressed. Well done with making those organs, and having a chat with your parent or carer about them. And in the next lesson, we're going to have a look at this interoception sense, when it makes life quite tricky, and why that is. So have a great day, and see you next time.

Interoception

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What is interoception?

What is interoception?

These resources will be removed by the end of the Spring Term 2026.

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