Sense Of Smell (or lack of it)

[BaffledOwl1970]

Hi all - I'm aware of alot of AS being highly sensitive to things such as sound, light, smell etc and have heard some people have the opposite and are very insensitive. I have always had an extremely bad sense of smell but when I do smell something it can affect me strongly. Does anyone have a similar lack of this sense and how do you deal with it? Could it be connected to my AS or is it totally different?

[oxgirl]

Hi, my son is like this. When he was younger he had absolutely no sense of smell, or should I say he didn't recognize his sense of smell, because now he can sometimes get a small sense of odour from strong-smelling items. He also was unable to recognize when he was hungry and thirsty and would only eat when I gave him food, never, ever asked or cried for food, even as a baby. Again, now that he is older, he is a bit better at recognizing his hunger and, although he eats very much as a routine, if I ask him if he is hungry he can sometimes say 'a little'. I'm not sure if he has these senses and just doesn't register them or if they are actually absent. I do remember when he was little, though, that he used to have trouble with the physical action of actually sniffing and didn't seem to sniff effectively, if that makes sense.

 

~ Mel ~

[caci]

I have no sense of smell, but I have no AS or ASD traits either.

 

I was probably in my teens before I realised I couldn not smell things, and am now in my 50's.

 

Sorry, probably not much help, but you are not alone in being unable to smell, or taste things properly.

[oxgirl]

... I do know of a friend of my husband, also, who had a head injury in a very specific place on her head and afterwards lost all of her sense of smell. As far as I know, she didn't lose her sense of taste though and I know they are closely linked so don't know how that would work.

 

~ Mel ~

[Tally]

Sense of smell and taste are actually different. But part of what you think is taste is actually smell. If you had no sense of smell, your sense of taste would feel as if it were dulled. It would definitely affect your enjoyment of food.

[oxgirl]

Yes, I've often wondered if that is why my son had no interest in food or eating when he was young and also didn't recognise when he was hungry and thirsty. He does enjoy his food now though, weird!

 

~ Mel ~

[zenemu]

Hi all - I'm aware of alot of AS being highly sensitive to things such as sound, light, smell etc and have heard some people have the opposite and are very insensitive. I have always had an extremely bad sense of smell but when I do smell something it can affect me strongly. Does anyone have a similar lack of this sense and how do you deal with it? Could it be connected to my AS or is it totally different?

 

The lack of a sense of smell is called Anosmia and it has many causes. I have Aspergers and complete Anosmia (so I have no sense of smell at all), but I have never heard of a link between the two. Anosmia is often caused by head injury or childhood illness - one of the key causes appears to be Pertussis (whooping cough) in children under 4 years of age. In some cases where Anosmia is not complete, a nasal steriod spray can help improve things.

 

Edit: And to clarify for the sake of posts above - smell and taste are seperate senses, although having no sense of smell can affect the way taste is perceived.

Edited May 17, 2011 by zenemu

[KezT]

FWIW, "sensory isues(which can form part of an ASD dx) can be hyper or hypo. Or in some cases, both - my son is both auditory hypersensitve and hyposensitve, being hyper to high pitch and very bass sounds and hypo to background or white noise.

 

Anosmia is not that uncommon and can be due to a wide variety of reasons - from very short term (colds), medium term (injury) or long term (nuerological or physical). I was asnosmic for two years as a teenager due to a nasal injury and although it affected how things tasted,it didn't make me lose my sense of tatse - it was just different.

 

I didn't realise how much I'd lost until I got it back though - your sense of smell is something we take for granted. I still remember the day the bandages came off and the smells all around me that day:)

[chris54]

My sense of smell seem to be at odds with others. Things that other find pleasant smelling, I will often find repellent. For example to me most perfumes, deodorants, air fresheners just have a horrible chemical smell.

[KezT]

My sense of smell seem to be at odds with others. Things that other find pleasant smelling, I will often find repellent. For example to me most perfumes, deodorants, air fresheners just have a horrible chemical smell.

 

that's just sensible - pretty much all perfumes are vile (and I'm NT).