The sense of Smell
Our sense of smell is one of our most under appreciated senses. We, as humans, do not have as strong a sense of smell as other animals and tend not to rely on our sense of smell as much as we should. There is a growing body of research which indicates that a declining sense of smell, particularly in the later years, is strongly linked to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and by doing some “smell training” you can help to reduce and improve some symptoms of these conditions.
The sense of smell is deeply linked to the hippocampus and smell is often something that can really “bring us back” to a certain time or point in our memory. Smell can trigger memory faster than any other sense. Other senses go through the thalamus (relay station). Smell signals go straight to the olfactory bulb, then directly to the amygdala and hippocampus, making scent-memory links strong and quick. Because of this direct link to the amygdala, smells easily evoke strong emotions tied to memories, creating vivid recall.
The sense of smell has an important job to do in early learning. Before a baby can recognise Mammy’s face they get to know her smell. For children, familiar smells provide comfort (like a mother's scent) and help build foundational learning, curiosity, and understanding of safety (good vs. bad smells).
The sense of smell is one I probably know least about since it is not one we usually notice or take into account when we see a child struggling. However I will attempt to give some insight into how a stronger than usual sense of smell can play a role in sensory overload in the classroom. When we think of smells we usually initially think of the pleasant ones natural ones. The ones that bring us joy, the smell of roses, the smell of the sea air and the smell of freshly cut grass. We may even think of our favourite food cooking on the stove. Unnatural smells don’t usually bring us the same level of comfort; the smell of bleach, strong perfume and the smell of washing powder don’t offer the same comfort to me anyway.
It is widely acknowledged that for people with autism an under-active or over-active sense of smell is common. If the sense of smell is under-active that can lead to its’ own problems. The dangers of not smelling smoke is one example that comes to mind. What I really want to focus on though, is the problems in the classroom associated with an oversensitivity to smell.
Imagine being in the classroom with a strong sense of smell and these are ALL the things that you can smell at the same time:
Teacher’s perfume
SNA/ANA’s perfume
6 different brands of washing powder
Leftover lunch from yesterday in the bin
Bleach from last nights cleaning
Chalk
Whiteboard makers/ markers
Paint
Musty old books
Body odour from up to 30 different people
Smells from the toilet next door
Cleaning products
Today’s lunch from all children (even stronger if the school get hot lunches delivered)
And there are probably some I have forgotten. As you can see there are very few of these smells that fall into the ‘Natural’ category and none that are both pleasant and natural.
If you are trying to process all these smells at the same time it is highly likely you will suffer from sensory overload which can lead to meltdowns/ school refusal etc. For most of us, we can’t even begin to imagine how you could smell all these at the same time, and we most likely would not recognise that the sensory overload may be coming from a strong sense of smell. If the child is younger or non verbal it may also be difficult for them to explain the problem. In a classroom setting keeping windows open may help slightly with this issue.
If the child has retained primitive reflexes, particularly a retained Moro Reflex, then reflex integration therapy may help reduce the child suffering with an over sensitivity to smell. The reason for this is the Moro Reflex is triggered by all sensory input and can cause the brain to always be on ‘High alert”. Get in touch to learn more or to start a program with your child.