Silent signals: Autism, disability, and heat vulnerability in a warming world

Extreme heat is among the most severe climate hazards, driving substantial preventable morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet autistic and disabled people remain largely invisible within adaptation and health policy. Differences in thermoregulation, interoception, and sensory processing can mute awareness of heat stress, while poverty, inaccessible housing, and exclusion from emergency planning amplify danger. Historical heatwaves reveal how disability invisibility turns preventable stress into tragedy, and these inequities are even sharper in low-resource settings where cooling infrastructure is scarce. This commentary argues that climate resilience must include disabled embodiment as a dimension of global justice. Disability-inclusive heat adaptation—co-designed with autistic and disabled communities and grounded in universal design and human rights—offers a feasible path toward equitable survival in a warming world.