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.