I saved the sense of smell until last because it seems to be the sense that Casey and Rob have the least issue with. Maybe that’s because their sense is hypo-sensitive and they don’t know what they are missing. I have rarely seen Rob bending closer to something to smell it better, but Casey does. Rob is more concerned with how things look, feel and sound.
For a long time, Casey would smell her food before she would eat it, but I don’t see her doing that much anymore. She eats almost anything so maybe she really does have a hypo-sensitive sense of smell. Taste and smell go hand in hand when we eat and her ability to eat a wide variety of foods might be a sign that she doesn’t notice the smells of some foods.
Rob never smelled his food, but he also won’t smell a flower if I asked him to. He might bend down to it, but he won’t really smell it. It’s almost like he isn’t sure what is expected when I ask him to do it. Casey will smell shampoo, deodorants, toothpaste. He just uses what he is given.
She also used her sense of smell to get back at me for telling her something she didn’t want to hear. It drives me crazy when she leans into my hair and takes a deep breath to smell it. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of telling her not to do that and now, if I have made her mad, she will lean on me and smell my hair. (Yeah, I know having your hair sniffed isn’t that big of a deal, but it drives me nuts the way she does it! 🙂 ) More proof that people with autism do have a sense of humor – she will lean in for a sniff and just grin her ornery grin as she knows she has gotten my goat again.
Casey will tell me if something smells good or bad. Rob just looks at me like he has no idea why any smell would be good or bad. I know he can smell, to some degree, but he is definitely hypo-sensitive in that area. I think Casey is, too, as things that smell bad never get her attention. I’ve driven by skunks on the road and made comments about the terrible smell and they both look at me like they have no idea what I’m talking about. I’ve never seen either one of them wrinkle their nose at something that stinks. Nor do they seem to enjoy smelling flowers or fresh cookies.
For people with hyper-sensitive senses of smell, the world can be a rough place. Ladies with a lot of perfume on – fires burning – lit candles – even shampoo or soap can be extremely painful for them and can cause them to feel sick. Think about times you have smelled something and felt nauseous from it – imagine that 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Is it any wonder that sensory issues can cause meltdowns? I’m not sure I would make it an entire day dealing with what Casey and Rob handle every day. They are stronger than me.
If you notice your child avoiding certain foods, people or places, think about what they may be smelling. Is there someone wearing heavy perfume? Does the food have a strong odor? Even bath time can be difficult if the scents of shampoo or soap you are using are too strong. Try unscented items for a while and see if that helps. (But remember – our kids have amazing memories and an inability to generalize, so it may take several tries before you have a calm bath time with new shampoo!)
You should be able to discover how your child’s sense of smell is affected fairly easily, if they are willing to try. Gather several items with different scents and see if your child is willing to sniff everything. If they avoid it all, I would guess they have a hyper-sensitive sense of smell and will avoid anyone or anything that has much of an odor. (remember – they can smell things we don’t – if they avoid it, they can smell it, even if you can’t!) If they will smell the items without much reaction, my guess is they have a hyposensitive sense of smell and aren’t able to notice the odors.
Keep in mind that, just like everyone else, their bodies change as they grow up and the way their senses are affected may change, too. Very few things in autism are permanent. 🙂