What it is
Our noses pick up information about the odours around us and passes this to our brains. We discriminate between thousands of different odours to distinguish whether smells are dangerous, strong, faint, pleasurable or foul. The olfactory system is closely related to our limbic systems which is responsible for our emotions and memory. The olfactory system is also closely related to our sense of taste.
Hypersensitive
| Potential signs | Potential impact | Strategies to assist with learning |
|---|---|---|
| Negative reactions to smell | Issues associated with the avoidance of people or places | Careful selection of washing powder and use of perfume etc |
| Avoids people or places who smell too much such as because of perfume | Consider the lunch hall environment and support with the child being able to eat in a different room with fewer smells. | |
| Consider removal of carpets, frequent toilet cleaning and good ventilation to improve residual smell. |
Hyposensitive
| Potential signs | Potential impact | Strategies to assist learning |
|---|---|---|
| Smells everything | Appearing over familiar with people | Use cognitive and verbal strategies to explain behaviours in public. |
| Unhygienic practices | Offer alternative options such as wearing perfume, create a bag with good smells to use. |
