Hunger and thirst survey

[LisaFiene]

Hi everyone,

 

My name's Lisa, and I've received moderator approval from Lufty to put this new topic on the forum. My husband's been diagnosed with Asperger's, and one of the things he's always told me is that he hardly ever feels hungry or thirsty. I'm also a student researcher at University of Southern Queensland, Australia, and we've put together a short survey asking people with a diagnosed ASD about these issues, and how it is for them. If you are over 18 and have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, autistic disorder or PDD-NOS, University of Southern Queensland would like to invite you to take part in a research project, which is an online self-report questionnaire. It should only take you about 10-15 minutes to complete.

What?

The purpose of the research is to better understand how adults with and without autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) perceive and interpret internal bodily sensations - feelings that include hunger, thirst and temperature. Your participation in this research will valuably contribute towards a better understanding of this area, and may help provide better outcomes for people with ASDs. Also undertaking this survey may benefit you in gaining a deeper understanding about body awareness, and how this is one of the 'other' senses in our bodies.

How?

Click on the following link.
https://psych.sci.usq.edu.au/ols/?p=IBA2013

 

Contact

Lisa Fiene, Psychology Department, University of Southern Queensland
M 0409 905 264 E w0083181@umail.usq.edu.au

 

[oxgirl]

That's interesting. My lad has never really felt hunger or thirst normally. He is more able to distinguish it now, but when he was little he never, and I mean NEVER, cried for food. He'd sit in his high chair as a baby, with all the other babies around him screaming their heads off, and he'd just sit their quietly. When it was lunchtime I'd give him his lunch and he would eat it, but he would never ask for food, the same with drink. I thought it unusual, but others just thought he was a very placid baby and didn't cry. It was very noticeable that as a young child he would never ask for anything. Most kids run up to their mums at some point whining for a biscuit or something, but he NEVER asked for anything. Again, when it was meal-time he would eat, but he never asked. I'm sure he didn't notice he was hungry or thirsty until the food or drink was put in front of him.

 

Sorry, but I don't think he'd be able to complete your questionnaire, but I have always been interested in this subject.

 

~ Mel ~

[LisaFiene]

Hi Mel,

 

That's so interesting, and very much how John describes it for himself. He's never really understood why people say they feel hungry or thirsty. At times, he gets dizzy, which reminds him he needs to eat. Thanks so much for your post.

[oxgirl]

Luckily for me, my lad is very much routine-driven; so he has his lunch at noon, his snack at 4pm and his tea at 6.15, no questions, he just does it. If he was someone who only ate when they were hungry, well, he just wouldn't!

 

~ Mel ~

[Special_talent123]

I was going to do the survey until theres no next button crop up

[LisaFiene]

Hi Special_talent 123,

 

I've just had a look at the survey, and it seems to be working OK, and the 'next' button is there on the bottom right hand side of each page. Depending on your computer screen size, you may need to scroll down a little bit to see the 'next' button. Hope this helps.

 

Kind regards

Lisa

[trekster]

Completed the survey hope to have a copy of the results. The only variable you haven't allowed for is gfcf etc f lifestyles along with hunger and thirst. Mine are very different depending on if ive had gluten or not. If I eat gluten during the day I will be craving it for a few weeks so my hunger will work in effect. if im off gluten then im less likely to eat without zinc supplements which indicate an appetite.

[Sally44]

This is something I noticed with my son quite early on. And only now are professionals starting to listen to me about it.

 

I think it is part of his sensory processing disorder. This affects all his senses, and they can fluctuate between being over and under sensitive.

 

So he can have times when he appears hungry or thirsty all the time. Then go through phases where he does not seem to get hungry or thirsty. As a baby I had to monitor what milk he was drinking because he could drink to the point he vomitted it back up because he had drank so much. Then on other days he would not take to the bottle at all. And he was breast fed for the first 6 months, which went relatively okay.

 

Or he has times when he just wants to drink and not eat.

 

This difficulty with processing what are essentially internal sensory states also applies to toiletting. He often does not feel he needs the toilet. Or knows he needs the toilet, but not what for. So he might think he needs a wee, and then realise he is going to do a poo, and that can panic him. He can also get so focused on something he is doing, eg. playing on the computer, that he does not register he needs the toilet, or does not leave himself enough time and ends up wetting himself.

 

He is assessed as average cognitive ability.

 

I am not on the spectrum, but I do have an auditory processing disorder. That means that often I do not hear what people are saying, or do not hear background noise [or the complete opposite, I hear everything and it is like a mish mash of sounds/words/partial conversations as my ears jump from hearing one person to another. Sometimes I cannot habituate to noise to the extent it irritates me and I cannot concentrate - whereas at other times I habituate to everything and so hear nothing. So I find it impossible to hold a conversation in a noisy pub or nightclub].

 

So, as I often appear deaf - when I am not deaf - I can easily understand how someone might not process sensory input all the time at the same level. Or their brain may not process that input and give the right response eg. sensory output/response.

 

So very interesting that you are carrying out this survey. Unfortunately my son is too young to complete it himself.

Edited July 13, 2013 by Sally44

[velocity]

hi~ i complete the survey too : )

 

like many people with AS i have profound sleeping problems, so those questions were harder to answer, as its beyond my control,a nd when ive had little sleep for a long time, my awareness of everything dips, as im running on adrenalin.

 

also, when im engaged in something im less likely to stop and eat because im focused on that activity to the exclusion of everything else, and that also diminishes my bodily awareness.

 

one of the major barriers i have to eating and drinking is that i find small activities irratating and stupid- if im hungry, i just want to eat, and become involved in an activity (preparing food) THEN eat; its very frustrating. even open a packet of biscuits can feel frustrating because even though its only a few seconds, it seems illogical to have a barrier between my stomach and a biscuit.

 

and, in common with lots of As people, i have quite bad stomach & food problems, food makes me ill, so whatever i eat eliminates hunger but makes me ill in other ways :/

 

ive noticed that i do this with other functions~ that i have scratches i dont remember getting, because i havent noticed scrapes at th time, or that i take a long time to react to being hot or cold~ partly because im slow to recognise it, and partly because doing small tasks is irritating.

 

good luck with your research : )