The Sense: Smelling

(Olfactory Processing)

What is olfactory processing?

Olfactory processing is how an individual handles smell input.Smells that are pleasant to one person may not be to another.Olfactory input can often elicit an emotional response, either good or bad, and may change a person's level of arousal. A normal state of arousal is important for impulse control. Another important issue is that sensitivity to smell often affects sensitivity to taste as a large portion of taste is due to smell.

What would I see if my child has difficulty processing olfactory information?

Over Reactive Taste/Smell System-oversensitive to smell and taste information

This child may:

      o    Not like to color with markers because of the smell

o    Be a picky eater or prefer bland foods

o    Complain of smells that go unnoticed by others

o    Not eat foods because of the smell

o    Be extremely sensitive to scents or smells

o    Reacts negatively or emotionally to strong smells

Under Reactive Taste/Smell System-decreased sensitivity to smell and taste information

This child may:

o    Smell everything prior to eating

o    Seek out strong smells (i.e. smelling feet, smelling markers, etc.)

o    Eat anything and does not appear aware of different smells/tastes

o    Not be aware of odors

o    Taste and attempt to eat non-food items

What can I do to help support my child at home?

q  Remember that all odors can be alerting, especially strong scents. Natural scents can be alerting as well, including citrus scents.

q  Remember that some odors associated with pleasurable or comforting experiences can be calming, including lavender and vanilla scents.

q  Play “Guess that Smell” with your children, introducing a variety of scents on Q-tips to the child. Make sure not to overwhelm the child with too many or too strong of scents

q  Be careful with which type of toothpaste that you choose as a strong mint flavor may result in resistance to brushing teeth.