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Lack of thirst

Eleanor
over 6 years ago

Hi my 16 year old daughter was diagnosed with high functioning autism in August 2017.  She has never drunk much and says she never experiences thirst.  This resulted in her being hospitalised this weekend for rehydration.  Even though my daughter is very intelligent I can't get her to believe that she needs to drink more.  Even though she ended up in hospital she had no physical shmptoms of dehydration, it was a blood test that highlighted it.  As far as my daughter is concerned no physical symptoms = not important.  Has anyone else any experience of no sensation of thirst with their ASC CHILD/adult?  Thank you.

Parents
  • 1 month ago

    My 16 year old has issues with her interoceptive sense and cannot feel hunger or thirst (she also cannot feel when she is too hot or cold, too). She is unaware of the signs and symptoms, such as she is unable to feel a dry mouth, her tummy rumbling, and she is oblivious to lack of urination, or feeling irritable being signs.  
    I have to monitor her and remind her regularly to eat and drink. Before I became aware of this, as she started to become a little more self-sufficient when she was a little younger, she became ill and lost weight. I realised it was because she wasn't eating or drinking properly.
    Since, I have tried every method to help her to remember to eat and drink. Some things worked for a while, such as visual timetables and alarms on her phone, but these were quickly ignored or forgotten about.
    She is now home educated, so she is with me every single day, where I am able to regularly remind her to eat and drink. Although I do not know what else I can do to support her to do this for herself. While she was at school, they were aware of her lack of food and fluid intake, but did little to support her/us. 
    I'd like to know if there is anything I could also try. I have bought several books lately, which are about ASD/ND and interoception - I've begun to read these, and if I find any suggestions, I shall let you know! But I'll follow this thread, in case there is anything else suggested I could also try!
    I wish you the best of luck in finding answers and support :)

Reply
  • 1 month ago

    My 16 year old has issues with her interoceptive sense and cannot feel hunger or thirst (she also cannot feel when she is too hot or cold, too). She is unaware of the signs and symptoms, such as she is unable to feel a dry mouth, her tummy rumbling, and she is oblivious to lack of urination, or feeling irritable being signs.  
    I have to monitor her and remind her regularly to eat and drink. Before I became aware of this, as she started to become a little more self-sufficient when she was a little younger, she became ill and lost weight. I realised it was because she wasn't eating or drinking properly.
    Since, I have tried every method to help her to remember to eat and drink. Some things worked for a while, such as visual timetables and alarms on her phone, but these were quickly ignored or forgotten about.
    She is now home educated, so she is with me every single day, where I am able to regularly remind her to eat and drink. Although I do not know what else I can do to support her to do this for herself. While she was at school, they were aware of her lack of food and fluid intake, but did little to support her/us. 
    I'd like to know if there is anything I could also try. I have bought several books lately, which are about ASD/ND and interoception - I've begun to read these, and if I find any suggestions, I shall let you know! But I'll follow this thread, in case there is anything else suggested I could also try!
    I wish you the best of luck in finding answers and support :)

Children
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