Sensory Sensitivities -Taste

Chemical receptors in the tongue tell us about different tastes - sweet, sour, spicy and so on. People with an ASD may experience the following differences.

Hypo

Likes very spicy foods.
Eats everything - soil, grass, Play-dough. This is known as pica.

Hyper

Finds some flavours and foods too strong and overpowering because of very sensitive taste buds. Has a restricted diet.

Certain textures cause discomfort; some children will only eat smooth foods like mashed potatoes or ice-cream.