According to a recent study, autistic people may not inhale sweet and foul scents through their olfactory systems in the same way that neurotypical people do.
They may even struggle to distinguish between pleasant and unpleasant smells. Some experts argue that this, in itself, is an indicator of autism although more research is needed.
An over-sensitive 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 those foods or go to certain places.
Some smells can be so overwhelming that they may display unusual behaviours to avoid these smells.
Some autistic people may seek out strong smells. These people may be referred to as under-sensitive to smell.
They might be drawn to curry powder, herbs, flowers, essential oils and perfumes. They may even go out of their way to smell things or people, perhaps attempting to sniff another person’s hair or skin.
Our sense of smell can help us identify danger in our daily lives – such as smoke, escaped gas, or food that has gone bad. Some autistic people may not be able to identify or react to things based on smell, they may have a lack of smell or be unable to identify strong smells.
