Serve Up Some Social Learning

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Teachable moments to support social learning and executive functioning with children are scattered all throughout our daily routines. Cooking is a common household activity that can embed skills like following directions, sequencing, taking turns, joint attention, waiting, flexibility and conversation. As winter settles in, you can start a new tradition of cooking family-friendly recipes that provide these teachable moments for building critical skills.Following a recipe can also be a fun way to improve your child’s executive functioning skills. Sarah Ward, a speech-language pathologist in Boston, MA, uses a strategy called “Future Sketch-Get Ready-Do-Done” to help organize and plan.  The first step encourages children to make a future sketch of what the recipe will look like when they are finished. This helps the child to visualize what the end product will look like. Some cookbooks even provide a visual image that will show the food when the recipe is completed. Step 2 is the “get ready” stage. In this stage, you gather all of the ingredients and materials needed to get to the “done” stage (e.g. bowls, measuring utensils, spoons etc.). You can help your child work backwards to determine the steps of the recipe and gather all the necessary tools. Then “do” the recipe. Once you are finished cooking, you can both decide whether your finished dish matches your future sketch.More ways to incorporate social learning into everyday activities will be shared in Elizabeth Sautter’s new book, Make Social Learning Stick! Stay tuned for updates about the book’s release date. Until then, Happy cooking!Below are five wonderful recipes to cook and enjoy:Carrot Cake Muffins - Chef James “Jimi” Taylor has an easy to follow recipe at http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/08/29/recipes-for-children-with-autism-on-chef-jimis-app-cooking-with-a-cause/ .Recipe using Pumpkin Seeds – don’t throw your pumpkin seeds away. You can make some great recipes with them. http://www.boardmakerachieve.com/Activity/1883660Mashed Ginger Carrots – This is a wonderful way to use an autumn vegetable. I recommend using fresh carrots instead of the canned carrots called for in the recipe.http://www.sheknows.com/recipes/mashed-ginger-carrotsBanana Bread - http://www.autismkey.com/autism-recipes/Tapioca Pudding - http://www.autismkey.com/autism-recipes/. You’ll need to scroll down the page a bit to find the recipe.