30/08/2025
🌱 Beyond Traits: Why Autism Behaviours Can Be Clues to Deeper Needs
Too often, behaviours linked with autism are brushed off as “just traits.”
But what if they are not quirks at all, but messages — the body and nervous system communicating in the only way they can?
When we pause and look deeper, behaviours such as pica, sensory seeking, repetitive sounds, or excessive drinking are not random. They can be cues, pointing us toward what the body needs, how it regulates, and sometimes even where pain or imbalance lies hidden.
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🌌 Shyness, Meltdowns & Energy Awareness
Children on the spectrum can often be misunderstood at both ends of the spectrum.
🙈 When they pull back, they can be labelled as shy or withdrawn.
💥 When their energy overflows, meltdowns can sometimes be seen as challenging behaviour.
But what could be happening instead? 🤔
In reality, many children are tuning in — to the energy of the room, to unspoken emotions, and to their own body’s signals.
✨ What looks like withdrawal can be deep observation.
✨ What looks like disruption can be the nervous system overflowing under pressure.
Both are part of the same thing: a sensitive, finely tuned system trying to process more than most of us can imagine.
This isn’t “shyness” or simply “challenging behaviour.”
It can be energy awareness — sometimes expressed quietly, sometimes explosively.
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🌀 Behaviours as Energy & Body Cues
💧 Drinking excessive water
This isn’t always “just a habit.” It can be:
🍼 A sensory outlet (oral soothing, temperature regulation).
❄️ A way of cooling inflamed tissues or calming the gut.
🩸 A signal of underlying imbalance (for example, blood sugar or mineral depletion).
Children on the spectrum often regulate their body’s energy in creative ways. Drinking water in excess can be one of those cues.
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👕 Pica & unusual seeking (chewing clothes, drinking shower/pool water, eating bark)
Often labelled as sensory behaviour or pica. But what if it’s more?
For example, the body may be seeking minerals it is low in:
🚿 Shower or pool water → trace copper, sodium, chlorine
🥉 Copper = supports iron balance + oxygen delivery
🧂 Sodium = regulates hydration + nerve signals
💨 Chlorine = feels “cleansing” but unsafe in excess
➡️ So when a child repeatedly drinks shower or pool water, it may not be random. It can be their body’s way of seeking electrolytes, trace minerals, or gut/immune relief.
⚠️ Of course, this doesn’t mean it’s safe or advisable to allow. Pool water especially contains high levels of chlorine and chemicals. Instead, it’s a signal for us as carers to explore why the body is craving it, and how to meet those needs in safer, nourishing ways.
💡 Safer ways to support these mineral needs (depending on tolerance):
🥥 Coconut water → natural electrolytes
💧 Electrolyte drops/powders (clean, without artificial sweeteners)
🥒 Low-histamine mineral waters or cucumber-infused water
🍲 Pressure-cooked broth → lower histamine, mineral-rich
👉 Every child is different. The key is not to encourage unsafe habits, but to explore safer ways to provide the minerals and electrolytes their body may be seeking. And if in doubt, functional testing can help confirm imbalances or deficiencies.
👕 Chewing fabric/clothes → may provide:
🧂 Salt (from sweat) = electrolyte support
🌾 Starch (from fibres/dyes) = quick energy/calming
🩸 Iron residues (from dyes) = oxygen transport
🌳 Eating bark/soil/clay → often rich in magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc
These support the nervous system, muscles, and immune balance.
Clay can also bind toxins, so children may instinctively use it as a form of detox.
🥉 Copper is one strong example of this bigger picture.
When copper is lacking, iron cannot be used properly, leading to anaemia-like symptoms, low oxygen, and nervous system stress. Add MTHFR mutations (seen in 60–70% of autism), which raise homocysteine and impair detox, and you create a cycle of exhaustion, sensory overload, and unusual seeking behaviours.
So these “odd” actions aren’t quirks. They can be the body’s way of self-correcting deficiencies or overloads.
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🎵 Repetitive sounds & movements
These are often dismissed as auditory processing issues or “autistic traits.”
But they can be:
⚡ An outlet for excess energy
🎯 A way to regain focus + balance the nervous system
🛡 A strategy to override pain or discomfort with another channel
Some children are instinctively drawn to particular tones or frequencies. For example, listening to G major sounds may feel soothing because:
🎶 Certain tones calm the nervous system
🎧 Support the vestibular system (balance & spatial awareness)
🌊 Override internal noise (like tinnitus-style signals)
Instead of quirks, these actions are often survival tools — the body finding ways to regulate and even heal itself through vibration and frequency.
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🌿 The Bigger Picture
When we dismiss behaviours as “just autism,” we risk overlooking the deeper clues.
💧 Drinking water excessively → may highlight gut inflammation, temperature dysregulation, or blood sugar stress.
👕 Pica behaviours → may signal mineral imbalances (copper being one overlooked but vital example).
🎵 Repetitive sounds/stimming → often the nervous system’s outlet to balance energy or override pain.
Each of these isn’t a “trait.” It can be a map — guiding us toward underlying needs.
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🌟 Listening Differently
Mainstream views often stop at symptom management.
But a truly holistic perspective — one that listens to energy, biology, and lived experience — allows us to see what’s really going on.
💜 These children aren’t just showing traits. They can be showing us messages.
They are 🌍 earth angels in disguise, teaching us to slow down, look deeper, and reconnect to the hidden wisdom of the body.
✨ Behaviours aren’t merely quirks.
They can be clues — guiding us toward underlying needs.
When we learn to listen in this way, we move from managing autism to truly understanding the child — their body, their energy, their spirit.
And that is where healing begins. 💫
