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ASD-S2: Demonstrates the ability to adapt, modify, or structure the environment based on an understanding of which auditory, visual or other sensory stimuli may be distracting, offensive, reinforcing, or calming for the individual student under the direction of licensed staff.

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Olfactory, Visual, and Oral Defensiveness

A picture of a high school student with his hands over his eyes. Some sensitivities in people can be less tactile and include the other senses of smell, sight and taste. These, too, can cause a great deal of overreaction or underreaction to stimuli, making it difficult to function easily in some typical classroom activities. So it is crucial to be aware of and understand the variety of sensitivities in working with students with ASD. As you go through this lesson, think about situations when you may have experienced over sensitivity to olfactory, visual, and oral input.

Olfactory Defensiveness

Olfactory defensiveness is an oversensitivity or overreaction to certain smells that are not generally considered aversive or noxious. Pregnant women sometimes experience temporary defensiveness to smells, and some people avoid walking through the perfume section of a department store. However, the individual with olfactory defensiveness regularly experiences extreme reactions to everyday smells, such as food or cleaning products. These can make them feel like vomiting. The individual with a defensiveness to smells might overreact to odors from perfumes, lotions, coffee, the lunch room, art products (e.g., paint, markers, etc.), body odor, cleaning products (e.g., bleach), or the bathroom (regardless if it’s clean or dirty).

The behaviors associated with olfactory defensiveness are avoidance, increased agitation, or trouble-making behaviors around the following situations:

People who have certain bodily smells (e.g., perfumes, body odor) or breath smells (e.g., coffee, cigarettes, mints).
Materials to touch or work with that have certain smells, such art supplies, cleaning supplies, or foods.
Environments that have certain smells, such as the lunch room, gym, bathroom, locker room, or art room.

Individuals with ASD may also increase their self-stimulatory behaviors when presented with situations that challenge their ability to cope with noxious smells.

Visual Defensiveness

Visual defensiveness is an oversensitivity or overreaction to visual input, such as light, moving objects, direct eye contact, or multiple sources of visual stimulation in an environment. For someone with visual defensiveness, the whole world might seem like a three-ring circus—so visually overwhelming that it’s difficult to know where to look or what to focus on. The experience of visual defensiveness may again be equated to having a severe headache in which bright lights can be painful and visual movement can be very disturbing. Behaviors exhibited by individuals experiencing visual defensiveness include:

An increase in agitation, distraction, or “coping” behaviors, such as chewing, moving, or hiding, when in a room full of visual stimulation (such as the typical elementary school classroom).
Visually fixation on certain preferred objects to tune out other stimulation.
Reluctance to go outside on sunny days or keeping the eyes covered by sunglasses or a hat.
Hiding in the shade.

Oral Defensiveness

Oral defensiveness is often related to tactile defensiveness but occurs in or around the mouth. It can affect a person’s tolerance to textures, tastes, temperatures of food, or touch in or around the mouth. Being presented with a typical food item might be like being asked to put a slimy, sandy, or maggot-like texture or an exceedingly sour, sweet, spicy, icy, or burning taste in your mouth. Thus it is typical to see avoidance behaviors in such circumstances. When an individual has oral defensiveness, he or she might:

Appear to be a picky eater.
Avoid getting face wiped after meals.
Refuses to eat or drink anything unless it is a certain temperature.
Refuses to eat foods that are a certain texture or that are mixed textures (e.g., casseroles).
Fights, gags, vomits, or avoids situations when presented with a food he or she perceives as noxious.

On the other hand, when there is an impaired sensory processing in and around the mouth, students often will excessively mouth or chew on inappropriate or nonedible items.

Information in this lesson is used with permission from:

Ayers, A. L. (1979). Sensory integration and the child. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.

Wilbarger, P., & Wilbarger, J. L. (1991). Sensory defensiveness in children aged 2-12: An intervention guide for parents and other caretakers. Santa Barbara, CA: Avanti Educational Programs.