I know interoception is a big topic of conversation these days, and that many of us have been discussing Kelly Mahler’s tools and curriculum. I wanted to share another resource that may be of interest, and I’d be curious to hear if anyone has tried using it before. The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness– Youth Version (MAIA-Y) was developed by the University of California San Francisco Osher Center for Integrative Health (with NIH funding). It is freely available from their website. This is a self-report measure for use with children ages 7-17. The youth version was adapted from an adult version that is available in several language translations as well as an online format. There is a youth card deck also available (which costs money).
The MAIA consists of 32 items across 8 scales:
1. Noticing: Awareness of body sensations
2. Not-Distracting: Tendency not to ignore or distract oneself from sensations of pain or discomfort
3. Not-Worrying: Tendency not to worry or experience emotional distress with sensations of pain or discomfort
4. Attention Regulation: Ability to sustain and control attention to body sensations
5. Emotional Awareness (Items 18-22): Awareness of the connection between body sensations and emotional states
6. Self-Regulation: Ability to regulate distress by attention to body sensations
7. Body Listening: Active listening to the body for insight
8. Trust: Experience of one’s body as safe and trustworthy
Individual scale scores (0-5) are generated, with higher scores representing more awareness of bodily sensation. Percentiles can also be calculated again age-related norms, with percentiles below 50 indicating less than typical and extreme percentiles (below 10 or above 90) of particular clinical significance.
The validation study article and this sample NovoPsych evaluation report may also be helpful resources.