Who they are
Kelly Mahler (OTD, OTR/L) is an American occupational therapist who has done more than anyone to translate interoception research into practical, teachable frameworks for autistic people and those who support them. Her Interoception Curriculum — a step-by-step programme for building awareness of internal body signals — is used in over 25 countries and is, as of 2026, the most evidence-based self-regulation framework specifically designed for autistic populations. See Interoception curriculum.
Mahler works at the intersection of clinical practice and research. The interoception literature was growing rapidly in neuroscience but had almost no practical application until she developed structured teaching methods.
Key contributions
The Interoception Curriculum
Mahler’s central contribution is the curriculum itself: a structured programme that teaches people to notice, name, and respond to internal body signals — heartbeat, muscle tension, hunger, temperature, bladder fullness, emotional arousal. The approach works bottom-up: body sensation first, emotional interpretation second. This is a deliberate departure from frameworks like the Zones of Regulation that start with emotional categories and work down. See Interoception curriculum for the full wiki page.
The first full-scale study (2021) showed significant improvements in interoceptive awareness and emotion regulation in 14 autistic students aged 9–19 over 25 weeks. It’s a single small-sample study, but more rigorous than evidence supporting several more widely adopted frameworks.
Bridging interoception science and practice
Before Mahler, interoception research was lab-based neuroscience. She translated the three-dimensional model (accuracy, sensibility, awareness) into concrete classroom activities. This science-to-practice translation is essential.
Not-compliance-focused design
What distinguishes Mahler’s approach philosophically is what it does not do. It does not teach children to appear calm. It does not reward “good” emotional states. It teaches people to notice what is happening inside their own bodies so they can respond on their own terms. This aligns with a neurodiversity-affirming stance.
Critical assessment
The evidence base, while promising, is thin — one published study. Replication with larger samples, control conditions, and diverse populations (including people with intellectual disability) is needed.
The curriculum requires metacognitive capacity to reflect on internal experience. Adaptation for people with severe ID or minimal speech is an open question. Mahler describes potential adaptations (visual supports, body-based activities), but these haven’t been formally studied.
Mahler is a clinician-entrepreneur with a commercial interest in her curriculum’s adoption. This is not inherently problematic, but readers should be aware that much of the publicly available information about the curriculum comes through her own marketing channels.
Selected works
- Mahler, K. (2017). Interoception: The Eighth Sensory System. AAPC Publishing. — The accessible introduction.
- Mahler, K. (2019). The Interoception Curriculum: A Step-by-Step Framework for Developing Mindful Self-Regulation. — The curriculum itself.
- Mahler, K. et al. (2021). “Impact of an Interoception-Based Program on Emotion Regulation in Autistic Children.” PMC. — The first full-scale published study.
Last reviewed
2026-04-15