When the Body Does Not Sound the Heat Alarm |
Find a therapist to help with autism
Autism may shape how the brain detects thirst, overheating, and internal distress.
Some autistic individuals may experience delayed or inconsistent awareness of overheating.
Public health advice assumes everyone experiences bodily warning signals similarly.
Neuroscience may help explain overlooked dimensions of heat vulnerability in autism.
Most heatwave advice assumes the body will warn us when something is wrong. You feel thirsty, notice overheating, recognize exhaustion, and you seek water, shade, or rest before things become dangerous. But what happens when the brain interprets those internal signals differently?
As temperatures continue to rise around the world, conversations about heat vulnerability usually focus on external risks: lack of air conditioning, poor housing, dangerous work conditions, or limited access to healthcare. These issues matter enormously. But there is another layer to heat vulnerability that receives far less attention: how the brain perceives the body itself. In a recent paper I published in Global Public Health, I examined how differences in thermoregulation and interoception may shape heat vulnerability in........