Introduction: Olfaction is impaired in various adult neurodegenerative conditions, but little is known about smell loss in children.  The 16 item smell identification test from Sniffin' Sticks (SS16) is one of the most widely used commercial smell tests for adults. We have produced and tested a child-friendly adaptation of the SS-16 suitable for children.

Methods: The initial pilots were tested in 29 children and 23 adults for comparison. Throughout the pilots the  options for the test were replaced by colourful pictures, and a picture identification test (PIT16) was used to evaluate familiarity of the 16 items. For unfamiliar items the name of the item was replaced by a similar option, while distractors were also replaced by items more familiar to children (such as popcorn, cake, etc) which were not in the test.

Results: The final SS16-Child was applied to 51 children with a mean age of 9.9 (range 3-18, SD=4.25), of which 36 (68.3%) were girls. Mean score in the SS16-Child was 13.9 (range 4-16, SD=2.72); mean score in the PIT16 was 15.5 (range 12-16, SD=0.9); and there was a significant correlation between age, SS16-Child and PIT16 (p<0.001 for all pairs). There was a strong independent correlation between the PIT16 and SS16-Child results (adjusted for age r=0.75, p<0.001).

Discussion/Conclusions: An adapted version of the SS16 can be used to test olfaction in children older than 3 years. Interpretation of its results must take into consideration the age of the child, as well as the performance in the PIT16.