Olfactory Dysfunction

Children with characteristics for autism or fragile X syndrome may also show dysfunction of the olfactory sense, with most likely a coexisting sensory disorder.

I have worked with individuals that would often try to smell hands when engaged in a hand shake or inappropriately put their face too close to another person in effort to smell that person. This can be very uncomfortable for the opposite individual, but can unfortunately be a symptom of olfactory dysfunction.

Other symptoms include⁽¹⁾:

A. Hypersensitivity of the olfactory sense

• Strongly dislikes smells that are usually undetectable by others
• Tells others when they smell bad
• Refuses certain foods due to their smell
• Easily irritated by perfumes and colognes
• Bothered by typical household or cooking scents
• May not want to play at certain friend’s houses because of the smells
• Determines whether he or she likes someone as a result of how they smell

• Trouble detecting unpleasant odors
• Are prone to eating or drinking poisons because of inability to detect bad smell
• Can’t identify food or scratch ‘n sniff stickers by the smell

• Excessively uses the sense of smelling when introduced to objects, people or places
• Uses smell to interact with objects
• Seeks strong odors

• Auditory Processing Disorder
• Sensory Modulation Disorder (subtype of SPD)
• Additional symptoms of Sensory Disorders
• Vestibular Dysfunction
• Proprioceptive Dysfunction
• Tactile Defensiveness with hypersensitivity to tactile stimuli
• Tactile Dysfunction related to underresponsivity and/or sensory seeking
• Oral Defensiveness
• Auditory Dysfunction

References