Sniff research in Autism
Scent research in Autism
An older article from 2015 on scent and sniffing pleasant and unpleasant odors, noted that Autistics sniffed at pleasant and unpleasant odors with the same intensity whereas neurotypicals sniffed more intensely with pleasant odors and less intensely with unpleasant odors.
We wonder if the more intense sniff is increasing the intensity of the scent and thus contributing to increased sensory overwhelm to scent?
We would love to see some research into whether this could be developed into an easy intervention. We searched articles this week and could not find interventions but please let us know if there are some.
We would propose an intervention where Autistic children could learn to visually identify potentially unpleasant scents (this would need to be individually tailored) and also learn to control the intensity of their sniff to decrease the overwhelm. This could focus on scents that are more commonplace in everyday environments (schools, shops) and where the scent is impacting on occupations.
It has been difficult to research the olfactory (scent) sense in Autism, partly due to the difficulties with accuracy of measurement. A new precise and easy to use system has been developed – the odor pulse ejection system. It is described in this article:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2020.523456/full
This system was designed to more accurately measure olfactory processing including odor detection, identification and evaluation. Findings of the study using the odor pulse ejection system suggest differences in aspects of olfactory processing for autistics, including olfactory working memory and/or attention.
Xu, M., Minagawa, Y., Kumazaki, H., Okada, K., & Naoi, N. (2020). Prefrontal Responses to Odors in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Functional NIRS Measurement Combined With a Fragrance Pulse Ejection System. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2020.523456
Acute Care Team Legend Rachel Woolcock using cooling down sensory modulation options.
Recently I met with one of the most experienced and skilled Mental Health Clinical Nurses in Queensland – Rachel Woolcock. Rachel has over 20 years’ experience with Mental Health including acute care and homeless health. Rachel has undertaken Sensory Modulation Brisbane training and applies Sensory Modulation strategies regularly when working with very distressed or agitated clients. Rachel identifies that one of the most beneficial techniques for this client group has been cooling down with the dive reflex response. In her experience, Rachel has found that it is important to acknowledge that the technique sounds 'unusual' or 'a bit funny' but continues to encourage people to try it, with positive outcomes!
Factors Influencing Occupational Performance
Occupational Therapists have a lead role working with individuals in the area of occupational performance. Occupational performance refers to how a person engages in meaningful and valued activities in their life and can include self care, daily living skills, community living skills, work, leisure and many more.
An Occupational Therapist who is assisting a person with their occupational performance will identify strengths, barriers, supports, problems and solutions to participating in occupational performance. This process often involves an observation of the person undertaking a or a select number of tasks, as well as completion of checklists and standardised assessments. From here, the OT will then identify possible interventions, with regard to the person (P), the environment (E) and the task/occupation (O), aimed to improve or assist their ability to actively engage in the activity, thus enhancing their occupational performance.
Sensory Triggers Screen- Acute Medical Environment
Sensory Modulation and the Hospital Environment
Hospital admissions can be an extremely overwhelming experience, no matter the reason or duration of the stay. A significant contributing factor to this is the experience of sensory triggers, often at heightened levels and unique to the hospital setting. This overstimulation of the senses is further compounded by the person’s difficulty in modulating the environmental input to suit their individual sensory needs due to illness or injuring, having cognitive or mental health issues, and simply not having the ability to control the environment they are inhabiting.