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Activities/Baking

Familyconnecti0n

I'm a parent of autistic stepchildren and I'm always looking for ways to make activities at home work better for them. What are the biggest challenges you face when trying to do activities or baking with your child? Would love to hear from other parents

  • My kids (9, 11) love baking, my daughter got really proud of herself for being able to crack and seperate eggs. It takes time, as it does with any child, being patient, having clear instructions -a really good child's recipe book is great as there is lots of pictures of the steps. We borrowed some from the library which can also be a fun part of it, and we borrowed this one so ended up getting it, "The complete childrens cookery book".  They have bookmarked all the ones they like with mini label post-its, then when they want to make something, it makes it easier to choose from.

    I give each kid a step to complete if they are working together, and I do the hot stuff -though my son is getting older (11) so I am letting him do more now -he's got really into making smoothies. Last week I got them to make dinner too -a simple bake recipe they could both do a bit of, then I put it in the oven and they were super pleased with having made dinner and want to do it again!

    Even simple things, like my daughter won't eat pizza unless it's homemade (we have a bread machine to do the hard work, though you could also buy plain bases if you don't want to do that bit) and she then puts the toppings on and actually eats it! Which of course is another win in getting fussy eaters to enjoy more foods!

    The main thing, if you get stressed, they will. But it's super fun to get their hands on food, and they love the mess!

  • Oh, that's a great question - parents of autistic kids (step or bio) share a lot about this on forums like Reddit's Autism Parenting. The biggest hurdles? Hands-down sensory overload and demand avoidance, but here's the breakdown from what folks actually say:

    Sensory stuff hits first: sticky dough, flour clouds, oven heat, mixer buzz - any of it can shut things down fast. One mum said her son bolted at the smell of vanilla; another used gloves and pre-measured bowls to dodge the "wet hands" freak-out. Mess? Huge trigger - everything has to stay tidy or it's meltdown city.

    Then executive function: following steps feels like climbing a wall. Verbal instructions vanish; they need pictures or timers. And demand avoidance - baking starts fun, but "now mix" turns into "nope, not doing it." It's not defiance; it's anxiety overload. Parents say letting the kid lead (they measure, you stir) flips it from fight to flow.

    Other bits: short attention (30 seconds in, done), fear of "wrong" results (burnt cookie = tears), or safety worries (hot trays, sharp knives).

    And calm setups - low lights, no loud music, gloves for touch - keep it fun:

  • It might be work having a think about apron styles (straps touching around the back of the neck might not be universally well tolerated).  A tabard or smock style of apron / coverall might be better received.

    The below pdf has some further hints and resources:

    www.google.com/url