Chemosensory Experiences in Autism Spectrum Disorder — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

Chemosensory Experiences in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Name: Kelly Kaderlik
Major: Studio Art and Psychology
Hometown: Rosemount, MN
Faculty Sponsor: Leslie Cameron
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are pervasive developmental disorders characterized by deficits in social, communicative, and emotional behaviors. In addition to these hallmarks, there is evidence for unusual sensory experiences. Relative to visual and auditory processing, less is known about chemosensory (smell and taste) processing in ASD. Children and adults diagnosed with ASD self- report abnormalities in sensory and perception areas. But using standard methods of assessing olfactory function (i.e., ability to detect, discriminate or identify odors) no clear pattern of sensory differences have emerged. Thus a thorough understanding of chemosensory processing in ASD is lacking.

The primary tool for assessing sensory functioning in ASD is the Sensory Profile (SP), a self-report tool; however, the SP was not designed to examine the functioning of individual sensory systems, but rather to measure global sensory processing. The items that address chemosensory processing appear to be particularly insensitive to assess olfactory function. Recently, a Sensory Functions in Typical and Atypical Development (SFTAD) Questionnaire (Parma, personal communication) has been developed, specifically with chemosensory processing in mind. This presentation will explore the differences between the SP and the SFTAD questionnaire. We will report preliminary data collected online from 62 members of the Carthage community. This is an on-going study that should contribute to a better understanding of chemosensory processing in ASD.

Poster file