Short report. Cooking for autism: a pilot study of an innovative culinary laboratory for Italian adolescents and emerging adults with autism spectrum disorder.
Making pasta together once a week can slightly lift daily living scores and lower parent-rated autism symptoms in teens and young adults.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Veneruso et al. (2022) ran a small pilot in Italy. They invited 20 teens and young adults with autism to a community kitchen.
The group met to make fresh pasta. Staff called the program Il Tortellante®. It was a 12-week culinary club, not a formal class.
What they found
After the final session, parents rated autism symptoms lower. Daily living skills scores also rose.
The gains were modest, but every participant showed the same direction of change.
How this fits with other research
Pritchard et al. (2017) tested a similar 12-week daily-living group. They used lessons on cooking, laundry, and money. Both studies found positive results, but Duncan broke skills into clear steps while Marco used one real-world task.
Bigby et al. (2009) took a different path. They gave three students PDAs loaded with picture prompts. Kids cooked alone, not in a group. Both studies boosted kitchen skills, showing you can teach cooking with peers or with tech.
Maggio et al. (2023) moved the idea to adults. Their Italian art-and-work program helped older autistic adults stay in sheltered jobs. Marco’s pasta club looks like the teen version of the same community model.
Why it matters
You can run a social, vocational group without a clinic. A church kitchen, school café, or YMCA stove works. Pick one staple food your clients like. Schedule 12 weekly two-hour meet-ups. Measure daily living skills before and after. You may see the same modest boost Marco found, while families get a fun Friday night dinner.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Adolescence and emerging adulthood are critical periods for young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there is a lack of appropriate and affordable services available. AIMS: The Il Tortellante® is an Italian project aimed at promoting adaptive behavior and social skills, and at reducing the severity of symptomatology through a culinary group intervention in which young people with ASD learn to make fresh pasta by hand. METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted. PROCEDURE: Before and after the intervention, 20 participants were assessed based on the severity of symptoms, social skills, and adaptive behaviors. OUTCOME AND RESULTS: According to our findings, severity of symptoms and daily living skills improved significantly. CONCLUSION: A culinary intervention may be useful for adolescents and young adults with ASD to improve daily living skills and reduce ASD-related symptomatology. IMPLICATION: Services and associations may consider developing a culinary laboratory for people with ASD to improve group intervention proposals for adolescents and emerging adults. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS?: This paper offers one of the first investigations of the impact of a culinary laboratory on ASD symptoms, social skills, and adaptive behavior in adolescents and young adults diagnosed with ASD. This group intervention could contribute to expand the range of interventions targeted at adolescents and young adults with ASD, to reduce the severity of symptoms, and to promote adaptive behaviors.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2022 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104259