Smell

Over sensitive

A hypersensitive sense of smell creates strong and intense smells out of ordinary, everyday ones. Everyday smells, such as spicy foods, scented shampoos or petrol, may overwhelm an autistic person and they may refuse to eat certain foods or go to certain places. Smells can be so overwhelming that they may display unusual behaviours to avoid that smell.

TIPS TO REDUCE ANXIETY • Use fragrance-free cleaning products • Use unperfumed toiletries • Keep rooms well ventilated • Cover nose with tissue

Under responsive

Some autistic people may seek out strong smells. You might hear these people referred to as hyposensitive to smell. They may be drawn to curry powder, herbs, flowers, essential oils and perfumes. They may even go out of their way to smell things or people, attempting to sniff another’s hair or skin.

TIPS TO REDUCE ANXIETY • Cary a scented hankerchief with a preferred scent • Use scented hand cream • Cook meals with strong smells

Risks potential

Our sense of smell can help us identify danger in our life, such as smoke, escaped gas or food that is off. Individuals on the autism spectrum may not be able to identify things based on smell, or they may have a lack of smell or be unable to identify strong smells.

Discover more about the senses click on the images or download our leaflet

Sight

Hearing

Smell

Vestibular

Touch

Taste

Proprioception

Senses download