OLFACTORY PERFORMANCE DURING CHILDHOOD .2. DEVELOPING A DISCRIMINATION TASK FOR CHILDREN

Objectives: (1) To create a match-to-sample odorant discrimination tas k (MODT) for children and adolescents; (2) to assess whether nonolfact ory factors affect olfactory performance more on an identification tas k than on the MODT; (3) to evaluate subjects with olfactory dysfunctio n; and (4) to create age-appropriate sets of odorants for use in the M ODT format to test children of different ages, Study design: We tested 75 normal children, aged 2 to 18 years, and 17 other subjects, aged 7 to 53 years, with known or suspected olfactory dysfunction, with the MODT. We compared the age trends in variability of scores on the MODT with those on an odorant identification task, using a weighted linear regression analysis. Results: The MODT was useful in children aged 5 y ears and older, but not generally in the 2- to 4-year-old children, Th ere was an appreciable age trend in the variability of the scores on t he identification task but not on the MODT. Mean MODT scores for subje cts with suspected or known olfactory dysfunction were far below avera ge. Finally, we created four sets of odorants that will likely be sens itive to age-specific changes in olfactory performance, Conclusions: T he MODT appears to be a suitable test instrument to assess olfaction i n children aged 5 and older and is less likely to be influenced by non olfactory factors than an identification task, According to our prelim inary results, it is likely that the MODT will allow us to detect olfa ctory deficits in children of many ages.