Sensorize Taste & Smell

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Use the information provided on this site as an educational resource for determining your options and making your
own informed choices. It is not intended as medical advice or to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any specific illness.

Quercetti Super Saxoflute

Sensorize

Taste (gustatory)
Taste often brings us pleasure. We tend to eat the things that taste good! But taste can also warn us of
danger. We know that milk may be sour or food may be spoiled based on the way they taste. But a person
with sensory integration dysfunction may be either a very picky eater, avoiding certain (or many) tastes
and textures, or may be an indiscriminate eater, eating almost anything! Taste is an area which will likely
cause more distress and grief for the parents of children with sensory problems, than for teachers and peers.

HYPERSENSITIVITY TO ORAL INPUT (oral defensiveness)

may only eat "soft" or pureed foods past 24 months of age
may gag with textured foods
has difficulty with sucking, chewing, and swallowing; may choke or have a fear of choking
resists/refuses/extremely fearful of going to the dentist or having dental work done
may only eat hot or cold foods
refuses to lick envelopes, stamps, or stickers because of their taste
dislikes or complains about toothpaste and mouthwash
avoids seasoned, spicy, sweet, sour or salty foods; prefers bland foods

HYPOSENSITIVITY TO ORAL INPUT (under-registers)

may lick, taste, or chew on inedible objects
prefers foods with intense flavor; i.e., excessively spicy, sweet, sour, or salty
excessive drooling past the teething stage
frequently chews on hair, shirt, or fingers
constantly putting objects in mouth past the toddler years
acts as if all foods taste the same
can never get enough condiments or seasonings on his/her food
loves vibrating toothbrushes and even trips to the dentist

Smell (olfactory)
We are often surrounded by fragrant scents from perfume and flowers, and delicious smells of popcorn and
freshly-baked bread or cookies. Other smells we encounter in our environment include cleaning agents,
newly mowed grass, car exhaust, and smoke. Our sense of smell can bring us pleasure, enhance our ability
to taste our food, and warn us of danger. However, as with the other senses, the sense of smell can cause
frustration for a person whose brain is not able to properly analyze, screen out, or respond to the
information it receives. Some people are overly sensitive to smells, and a whiff of perfume or cleansers can
be very distressing to them. Other people are under-reactive to smells, and may hold things close to their
nose to be able to smell them better. Whether they are overly- or under-reactive to smells, students who are
keenly aware of the smells around them in the classroom may be unable to concentrate on the work they
should be doing.

HYPERSENSITIVITY TO SMELLS (over-responsive):

reacts negatively to, or dislikes smells which do not usually bother, or get noticed, by other people
tells other people (or talks about) how bad or funny they smell
refuses to eat certain foods because of their smell
offended and/or nauseated by bathroom odors or personal hygiene smells
bothered/irritated by smell of perfume or cologne
bothered by household or cooking smells
may refuse to play at someone's house because of the way it smells
decides whether he/she likes someone or some place by the way it smells

HYPOSENSITIVITY TO SMELLS (under-responsive):

has difficulty discriminating unpleasant odors
may drink or eat things that are poisonous because they do not notice the noxious smell
unable to identify smells from scratch 'n sniff stickers
does not notice odors that others usually complain about
fails to notice or ignores unpleasant odors
makes excessive use of smelling when introduced to objects, people, or places
uses smell to interact with objects