Gustatory & Olfactory Processing: By Little Heroes Academy
A practical, evidence-informed guide to understanding how children experience taste and smell, and how these sensory systems influence feeding, behaviour, participation, and regulation.
This comprehensive eBook is designed for occupational therapy students and clinicians who want to confidently assess and support gustatory (taste) and olfactory (smell) processing challenges in children.
If you have ever wondered:
• Why does a child gag at certain textures or flavours?
• Why do they refuse brushing their teeth due to toothpaste taste?
• Why are they distressed by everyday smells like cleaning products or food?
• Why do they seek strong flavours, chew on non-food items, or sniff objects?
This resource connects theory to real-world practice.
Inside this eBook, you will learn:
• The foundations of gustatory and olfactory processing
• Over- and under-responsiveness patterns in both systems
• Clear differentiation between sensory-based feeding challenges and behavioural or medical causes
• Real-life case examples to strengthen clinical reasoning
• Practical OT intervention strategies across home, clinic, and school settings
• Structured and informal assessment tools, including commonly used standardised measures
• Play-based, clinic-based, and environmental assessment approaches
• Gustatory and olfactory activity libraries with graded examples
• Self-reflection tools and clinical reasoning prompts for OT students
The resource includes:
• Step-by-step intervention ideas
• Graded exposure strategies
• Smell and taste exploration activities
• Sensory diary and interview guidance
• Environmental scan frameworks
• Activity examples such as smell jars, texture ladders, oral wake-up games, and sensory smoothie tasks
• Reflective models including Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle and Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle
This is not just theory. It is a practical toolkit designed to help you:
• Improve feeding participation
• Reduce sensory-related distress
• Support oral hygiene routines
• Increase safety awareness around smells and food
• Build child confidence with taste and scent exploration
• Strengthen your own clinical reasoning skills
Ideal for:
• Occupational therapy students
• New graduate OTs
• Paediatric clinicians
• Therapists working in feeding, sensory processing, or school-based practice
By the end of this eBook, you will have a structured framework for assessing taste and smell processing, practical intervention tools you can implement immediately, and stronger confidence in supporting children to experience food, scent, and everyday environments with greater comfort and participation.
