Does this sound like some kind of sensory issue, or is my daughter just quirky?

[Nakia]

I posted this on the general board as well.

My middle daughter (almost 6) does some of the weirdest things. She smells EVERYTHING!! It's like she is obsessed with smells. But the things she smells the most are her fingers. She will pet the dog or cat, then smell her fingers. If she is coloring with markers, she constantly smells her fingers. Today she was helping me clean with vinegar and water, and she kept smelling her fingers. If I am in the front of the van and open a stick of gum, she will say right away "I smell gum." I am sure she has a super sense of smell, but I'm wondering if it is something more. Oh, and she is my worst eater, and often I think it is because of certain smells.

She is healthy otherwise, has only been on antibiotics once in her life, and is a very happy and bright child. She is very loving, but very shy and timid around people she is 100% comfortable with. For example, at her birthday party yesterday, she had to think long and hard about opening her presents. She studied everybody for a while, almost to make sure she trusted everyone. And that was only immediate family.

Some of you may remember me posting last year about her crying hysterically at swimming lessons. She was excited until she got there and realized I wouldn't be going in the water with her. She balked. She did the same thing at t-ball. Then she started crying about going to dance class after going for two years for no reason except that she just couldn't do it anymore, so I didn't make her. So no activities for her right now, which I am perfectly fine with. That's really the only other personality quirk that I've noticed.

So anyway, do you all think this smelling thing is something more than just a quirk? The finger smelling has been going on for about six months, but I've noticed her super sense of smell for a really long time. TIA!


ETA: I just remembered something else. Emma has always been the slowest-moving little creature ever. She is the last to ever get ready to go, brush her teeth, or anything else. Part of it is that she just has one speed, and part of it is that she gets easily distracted. I'm not sure if it has a thing in the world to do with the other stuff, but I thought I'd throw it out there.
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[kRenee]

It does sound like a sensory issue, but then lots of people have sensory issues. You only seek out therapy when the quirk gets in the way of everyday living. As for the separation anxiety I would tend to say it is normal at 6.

So here's the rub. Therapy is always easier/more effective the earlier you start it. If you wait to see if these issues become a problem, you may let some valuable time slip by you. So, if you have a gut feeling about these behaviors it might be a good time to get an evaluation done.

Karen

[Nakia]

Thank you so much Karen. If I do decide to get it evaluated, who does that? Do I start with my pediatrician?

[kRenee]

You need to find an occupational therapist that specializes or has experience in sensory issues. Unless your insurance requires it, I would go directly to an OT. Your pediatrician and your friends might be able to recommend one. Other therapy offices (like vision, speech, physical, etc.) could probably make a recommendation as well. If there are any special ed schools in the area they might be able to give you good information. Or just look under "O" in your yellow pages.

Sometimes you can get services provided through the school district but I have no experience doing that so can't really advise you.

Karen

[songbirdie]

I watched a documentary on Discovery Health channel about "supersmellers". There is a small percentage of people in the world whose sense of smell is far more acute than most. And they said it DOES affect eating habits. There may be a certain spice or taste that the rest of us would barely notice, or think is enjoyable, but to a "supersmeller" it is revolting because it's just so intense. They said it wasn't a hazard to their health in any way, it was just inconvenient. So I don't think I'd really worry about it being a sign of something wrong with her. It couldn't hurt to have her sense of smell evaluated and see if she is a supersmeller. . .try the ear,nose,and throat specialist. . .just to make sure that's all there is to it.

As far as the crying, I wonder if there are different reasons for the crying even though it seems to be related to activities. Our dd was in tears over the swimming lesson thing, but that's because we realized she had some fears of water even though she loved to be at the pool and the lake. So when we dealt with that and gave her some time she was more receptive to the swimming lesson idea. Then there was suddenly a desire to quit ballet, which she'd loved up to that point. We told her she had to finish out the year (since it was February & it ended in May), and that she wouldn't have to do it next year if she didn't want to. But after about a month went by, she was talking about ballet next year. I said, "I thought you weren't going to do ballet next year." And she told me that was when she was working on a certain combination that was really hard and she wasn't getting it, but now she had mastered it. So those tears were really about not wanting to work hard to practice something difficult. I'm not saying this is what your dd is doing, I'm just suggesting that her crying may not be all related to clinging to Mom.

[Nakia]

I watched a documentary on Discovery Health channel about "supersmellers". There is a small percentage of people in the world whose sense of smell is far more acute than most. And they said it DOES affect eating habits. There may be a certain spice or taste that the rest of us would barely notice, or think is enjoyable, but to a "supersmeller" it is revolting because it's just so intense. They said it wasn't a hazard to their health in any way, it was just inconvenient. So I don't think I'd really worry about it being a sign of something wrong with her. It couldn't hurt to have her sense of smell evaluated and see if she is a supersmeller. . .try the ear,nose,and throat specialist. . .just to make sure that's all there is to it.

As far as the crying, I wonder if there are different reasons for the crying even though it seems to be related to activities. Our dd was in tears over the swimming lesson thing, but that's because we realized she had some fears of water even though she loved to be at the pool and the lake. So when we dealt with that and gave her some time she was more receptive to the swimming lesson idea. Then there was suddenly a desire to quit ballet, which she'd loved up to that point. We told her she had to finish out the year (since it was February & it ended in May), and that she wouldn't have to do it next year if she didn't want to. But after about a month went by, she was talking about ballet next year. I said, "I thought you weren't going to do ballet next year." And she told me that was when she was working on a certain combination that was really hard and she wasn't getting it, but now she had mastered it. So those tears were really about not wanting to work hard to practice something difficult. I'm not saying this is what your dd is doing, I'm just suggesting that her crying may not be all related to clinging to Mom.


That sounds interesting. I would love to see that documentary. I am trying not to make a big deal out of it, but on the other hand, I just want to know if it's something more than a quirk. My husband doesn't think it is a big deal at all, but he's not home with her all the time.

The dance thing was a year ago, and she still refuses to go back. It was completely out of the blue. She also stopped going to Sunday School at that time too, but that only lasted a few months, and now she goes. I think she is just dealing with a lot of insecurities right now. I remember this being a hard age for my oldest daughter too.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[Dobela]

Neophobia is a fear of eating. It is also used as a diagnosis for people who are extremely picky eaters. There is also a theory of some picky eaters being supertasters. You can test for that at http://supertastertest.com/ . There are all several support groups available for families who have a super pick eater as well.