The Benefits of Cooking on Children with Autism
January 26, 2022
Our younger son, Bunso, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when he was three years old. He could not express himself effectively through words but he was capable of telling us what he wanted through actions. Our only dream for him was to be able to communicate with us. After three months of attending occupational therapy sessions, he started talking and the rest was history!
Since he was doing his best to express himself through words, we decided to experiment on him regarding the activities that he would like to do so that he could become self-directed and independent. He showed interest in art most especially cooking and baking.
Hubby and I are both educators and Bunso's passion for cooking gave us an opportunity to teach him a lot of concepts, both in academics and social aspects. Cooking served as the basis for us to gauge his learning outcomes.
The Benefits of Cooking on Children with Autism
Cooking teaches life skills.
Our main goal for Bunso is to be independent as he grows. We cannot live forever to attend to his needs. At an early age, he must learn how to do activities of daily living (ADL) on his own and that includes cooking to nourish himself. Since cooking is one of his favorite activities, it acts as a springboard to all other basic ADLs. He is confident in trying new things because he thinks that he can do more because he is capable of cooking.
Cooking helps relationships to flourish.
Cooking is not just a means of building self-confidence but it is a way to build trust and confidence in other people. It is an activity where Bunso and the entire family bond. It is an effective means to go to his world because for a kid with autism, it is not easy for him to understand how things work in our world but he starts understanding it when we first enter his world then he does the same with ours. Cooking indeed creates lasting bonds. The end product nourishes the body while the process nourishes the heart.
Cooking promotes creativity and precision.
Learning how to cook entails enthusiasm while promoting creativity and resourcefulness. It is an avenue for us to teach Bunso in maximizing the use of available ingredients and materials in our pantry. We also let him do the plating and presentation based on his liking. In case there is a need for us to convert cooking ingredient measurements, we teach him how to use the all-in-one conversion calculator or read the cooking conversion chart on our favorite culinary website, culinaryschools.org.
Cooking aids in academic and physical development.
There are a lot of concepts that can be learned through cooking. Here are some:
Mathematics- measurement, fraction, fundamental operations, estimation
Reading- sequencing of events, following instructions, reading comprehension
Science- matter, physical and chemical change, mixtures and solvents, energy
Values Education- grit, tenacity, patience, endurance, building relationships, leadership, self-direction, creativity, hygiene
Home Economics and Entrepreneurship- costing, pricing, skills development, marketing
Speaking of following instructions and sequencing of events, there are two games that Bunso likes to play in Culinary Schools.Org Kids Games: Bannicula's Kaotic Kitchen and Sweet Cooking Chocolate Cake. The latter also inspires Bunso to always bake his favorite chocolate cake.
Cooking develops mindfulness and health consciousness.
When Bunso learned how to cook, he started to develop mindfulness in his choice of recipes that lead to health consciousness. He also tends to eat what he cooks which lessens his picky eating habits and his hypersensitivity to certain tastes and scents. Cooking helps him to explore different ingredients, tastes, and textures. Cooking and eating the right food may lead to reaching his ideal body weight and the entire family as well.
Cooking makes a person happy!
Last but not least, cooking makes Bunso and us very, very happy. It is an endeavor that is very purposeful and intentional, an activity that keeps the mind and body sound while the end product nourishes the body and soul.
Through the love for cooking, it gives us hope that Bunso will become independent in the future. Do you know that he dreams of becoming a pastry chef? We know that he can. www.culinaryschools.org/ is here to help us learn more about this career path he is taking.
Photo Credit: Skitterphoto, mccartyv, Katja_Kolumna, and Its_krtzr on Pixabay
