Student Dietitians developing some easy to follow recipes for adults with autism/ASD. Feedback wanted!

Hi, I’m Zoe, a dietitian and lecturer in dietetics at Coventry University, and research officer for the British Dietetic Association Autism group. 

I want to set my students (trainee dietitians) a short project that can help adults with autism spectrum disorder/condition to eat better. 

I’ve noticed that for many adults on the spectrum who live independently, there are many barriers to eating a healthy diet. One of those is the challenge of planning and preparing healthy meals. Some find that at the end of a day at work it is too much effort to cook, follow a recipe, make decisions about what to have. 

The project: 

To help with this in a small way I plan to ask my students to design a week’s meals that are cheap, easy to prepare and cook, and meet the government healthy eating guidelines. I then want them to prepare easy to follow recipes both in a downloadable document and as videos. 

I would love some feedback from adult with autism on: 

- is this a good idea? If so why? If not why not? 

- what would make this a useful resource for you? What should be included? What shouldn’t be included? 

- would you be interested in the meal plan and recipes when they are finished? 

- does this already exist? Which meal plans and recipes do you already find useful (if any) 

Thanks, 

Zoe Connor

if you would prefer to email me directly my email is Zoe.connor@coventry.ac.uk

Parents
  • I think this is a brilliant idea. I work in a university and have suffered serious sensory overload for the past two weeks. This has meant I've lived off black bean chipolate chilli as I didn't have the head space to be able to think of other meals.

    I'd like printable recipe cards as I'd find them easier to follow. Vegetarian meals that can be created in bulk and frozen would also be ideal for me.

    Have you considered involving autistic students in this project e.g getting them to provide feedback on the initial recipes or asking if any want to take part in making the videos? The videos could then be included in the resources your disability services create. For example, where I work we could create a playlist on the disability services YouTube and demonstrated these resources at our summer school for ASC students.

  • Thankyou for your positive feedback and useful suggestions. 

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