I met with my daughters 1st grade teacher this morning to go over concerns.... She is struggling academically, this was no surprise to me. She is having trouble concentrating. But then we discussed what she thinks is a deeper issue. She said "have you ever noticed that Julia smells almost everything she picks up, whether it is a book, a paper, lunch, a jacket, Etc.?" I told her that I had noticed that she does tend to smell things. I assumed it was curiosity....I think she really just wants to know what things smells like. The teacher explained that it could a be "sign of something going on". She will be getting an eval from the schools psychologist next week. I am not sure what to think of this. Is my daughter weird for smelling things? Has anyone here ever directly contributed smelling to a disorder/issue?
It could be a sensory issue . . . you might want to research/inquire about sensory processing disorder.
If she were my child I would have her privately evaluated. I'm not a fan of schools having that much information. However, if there was no other way then I might consider it.
Good luck.
Funny when we live with people we just accept their behaviors as normal. Not sure about the smell but our daughter seemed to have to make a light touch on certain things.
I never noticed it, she apparently did and does this even now in very subtle ways.
Our daughter is studying Psychology in college and found this is a sign of slight OCD. She says she does this to help her get past the object. It calms her to know she touched it.
Honestly I never noticed this till she mentioned it to me. She is stealthy with her touch. Now when I notice it, we laugh.
Probably sensory issues. My son has SPD and it can make concentrating in school difficult to say the least. Kiddos with sensory problems can have a hard time filtering out all of the different things going on around them making it difficult to focus. OT can help a lot with these things.
Talk to your pediatrician and see about getting an evaluation from someone who is NOT affiliated with the school.
I would not call this a "disorder." I love to smell things too. Perhaps she just needs to know that there is a time and place to do that, or a less obvious manner.
I smell books, clothes, etc. I love the smell of books (even the old ones). I am careful about what soaps I use because I tend to smell my hands a lot.
Really, it's no big deal. Just cue your daughter in on the behavior and let her know that she can do it, just try to do it covertly. ;o)
As a first grade teacher, I would say this is outside the realm of normal behavior. However, it could be a habit she just developed, like people who play with their hair, chew on their cheek, etc. It's good that your teacher is having your daughter evaluated by the school psychologist. Your daughter's behavior of smelling everything could be part of a cluster of behaviors that might indicate some other syndrome, which might be why she's struggling academically. I wouldn't worry, but think about any other things she may do that are uniquely hers that you should mention.
When you see her smelling something in particular, that would be a good time to ask her why she is smelling that book, paper, etc. It might tell you more than asking a general question like "Why do you smell things all the time?" when she's not actually doing it at the time.
I was a school psychologist is this is WAY outside the realm of what we are supposed to do. If it's not directly impacting her learning, then it's not directly related to the school psychologist.
Having said that, the school psychologist SHOULD observe your daughter in at least two school settings and have you and the teacher complete some form of rating scale so that you have good information to take with you to a private psychologist. If this is what you are talking about, then go for it! I used to do this all the time for parents as a courtesy AND to make sure that there was "school info" included in the psychologists' folder.
Otherwise, thank her kindly and make an appointment through your primary physician. Oh- and yes, it could be "something" or it could be "nothing". Better to find out before others start picking on her!
If you have insurance I would most importantly discuss this with her pediatrician...ask for a psychiatric eval referral and also a referral to have an OT evaluate her...and see what they think. I would definitely do this before having the school do it...and have her teacher write a note to the ped explaining all of her concerns. The ped may have a questionaire for her teacher as well to get a better understanding. Good Luck!
I'm in agreement with the other responders who say, if you can, have her evaluated by a psychologist outside of the school.
Her tendency to smell things may or may not have anything to do with her stuggling in school. A competent psychologist should be able to help to sort this out. This behavior can be a part of a sensory processing disorder, or not. To be diagnosed with this, a person needs to display a certain number of a list of behaviors, or the behaviors need to interfere with their lives.
I've looked into the symptoms of this disorder and my daughter and I both display some of these behaviors (sensitivity to smells and/or tastes, teeth brushing aversion (more than usual for a kid), sensitivity to clothing, etc.), but not to a level that interferes with life. I've had to learn not to smell things so much in public...
Hi,
I think the important part of you post is that your daughter is struggling in school. That is what makes any other behaviors a possible hint as to how to help her. For example, if she is evaluated to be distracted by the smell of things, it's possible that the system will offer her sensory activities to help her attend better. Or they could find that her interest in smells is not distracting, just a personal curiosity, but that something else is interfering with her progress. If you receive the evaluation and it makes sense to you, great. If it does not ring true, work with the teacher and school psychologist to determine what will help your daughter. My best to you and your daugher.
any repetitive behavior like that can mean there is an issue. Chances are it's nothing terribly serious, OCD or a sensory issue, but it's best to find out now since she is also having trouble concentrating and this may be causing some of her concentration issues. It can't hurt by any means for her to be evaluated. If you don't like what they come back with by all means get a second or third opinion but while it's not so strange as to bother you, it's not normal behavior and if it were me (and it's been me they thought my now 8 year old dd was autistic for years) I'd rather have it looked into just in case.
Google "sensory processing disorder" this may be what your daughter's teacher is concerned about.
Try not to worry about it too much and be glad that your daughter is getting evaluated NOW. If there is something going on it's better to know sooner rather than later :)
I agree with Angela... I would look at having this privately diagnosed. We went through some tough issues at our son's last school. We had him diagnosed with ADHD through his pediatrician and psychologist, yet, when the school "got involved", their psychologist said he only shows signs of ADHD and is not.
If you think something is wrong, then take it to her peds.
Sounds like a form of obsessive compulsive disorder. People can get "stuck" on having to smell things as a way to control their world.
I agree with what a lot of the other ones are saying. I would have her evaluated outside of the school. The school psychologist's realm really is only in how things are effecting her school performance. You said she is struggling academically, so it might be a good idea to involve the school psychologist. But if you and the teacher believe that there is something else going on than go to your pediatrician for a referral. I noticed that it says you are from Cincinnati. Our children's hospital has an excellent Division of Developmental and Behavioral pediatrics.
