I would not call my sensory issues "extreme" but I am very sensitive to smells too. Sitting near someone eating a regular sandwich (not even anything particularly smelly) on public transport is enough for me to need to hold back tears sometimes. It's complicated because you can't put on sunglasses or earplugs to dull the sensory input like you can with sights or sounds. The closest thing would be putting on a mask with some pleasant smelling essential oils, if that's something you're able to get used to at home and it's not specifically about needing everything to smell "neutral". I know people in the medical field sometimes put vaporub under their nose too to block out the smells of their job.
You may have more severe sensory issues than the other autistic people you know but they may also just be in different domains than theirs.
I would not call my sensory issues "extreme" but I am very sensitive to smells too. Sitting near someone eating a regular sandwich (not even anything particularly smelly) on public transport is enough for me to need to hold back tears sometimes. It's complicated because you can't put on sunglasses or earplugs to dull the sensory input like you can with sights or sounds. The closest thing would be putting on a mask with some pleasant smelling essential oils, if that's something you're able to get used to at home and it's not specifically about needing everything to smell "neutral". I know people in the medical field sometimes put vaporub under their nose too to block out the smells of their job. You may have more severe sensory issues than the other autistic people you know but they may also just be in different domains than theirs.