Olfactory response a new method for detecting autism?

The response of autistic children to unpleasant and pleasant odors may serve as a way to detect this condition. Israeli researchers observed that autistic children fail to distinguish between different types of odors and inhale both foul-smelling and pleasant-smelling air with equal intensity and slowness. What does a healthy person do when they smell unpleasant or pleasant odors? When they perceive a pleasant odor, they inhale the air longer. When they sense a repulsive odor, they look for ways to inhale the air less frequently. How do autistic children react when exposed to similar aromas? It turns out that their olfactory response is identical to both types of odors – they inhale the air identically, without distinguishing the character of the aroma. The more advanced the disease, the longer the child absorbed the unpleasant odor. A new tool for detecting autism spectrum disorder The Israelis' observations may soon become a benchmark for early autism detection. The earlier this condition is diagnosed, the sooner rehabilitation can begin. The olfactory test does not require a child's ability to communicate, so it could be performed at the earliest stage of development. 81% certainty At the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, 36 children were studied. One group was healthy, the other included children with autism. The average age was 7 years. Using a special tube, the children were given either a pleasant or unpleasant odor. Another device recorded their inhalation frequency. The experiment lasted 10 minutes. During the experiment, the children sat in front of a computer and watched cartoons. The differences between the healthy and autistic children were alarming, as Noam Sobel observed. The healthy children adjusted their sniffing by hundredths of a millisecond, while the autistic children did not. A computer program developed by the researchers provided 81% certainty as to which child had autism. Israeli researchers are about to conduct further experiments to determine whether this olfactory deviation is characteristic only of autism or also of other neurodevelopmental disorders.