Lowell — While Dorian Vidinlic added melted chocolate to a bowl, speech language pathologist Lauren Browning leaned over to ask Autumn Gordon for help.
“We are missing one of the ingredients. We need to find out which one it is,” Browning said.
Autumn looked at the chocolate pie recipe on the table in front of her and read through the list.
“Cool Whip!” she declared, and hurried to the refrigerator to retrieve it. She and Dorian, both seventh-graders, added two containers to the mix, bringing them one step closer to a smooth and creamy pie.
The hour-long cooking session offered students in the Lowell Middle School cognitively impaired classroom a chance to mix more than ingredients. They practiced speech and motor skills — communicating and collaborating, while learning cooking basics: chopping, measuring and assembling pie ingredients into crusts and cupcake pans.
Every student helps. Eighth-grader Luke Wittenbach, who has limited mobility, pushed a large button that powered a blender students used to mix their ingredients. His smile broadened as it whirred.
The pie-making session demonstrated how a new initiative combining speech therapy and occupational therapy works. Led by Browning and occupational therapist Aubrie Hanisko, the SPOT Group provides activities for students to work on speech and motor skills simultaneously. The duo focuses on components of their specialized therapies during the weekly class. Browning targets speech and communication, and Hanisko works with students on motor skills.
‘The goal is to teach them life skills, job skills, social skills, and prepare them for life outside of school and after school.’
— occupational therapist Aubrie Hanisko
“(Hanisko) has the ability to target little things that I would never think of, and same for me. We kind of bounce off each other. Especially from a life skills perspective, having both of our skill sets is really important for what we are working on,” Browning said.
Cooking, Tech, Health
Along with cooking, SPOT sessions focus on job and technology skills as well as self-care and wellness. Students have used voice-to-text and assisted technology tools to write thank-you notes and have taken part in a guided stretch class to practice breathing techniques.
“The goal is to teach them life skills, job skills, social skills, and prepare them for life outside of school and after school,” Hanisko said.
Students also work through tasks they might find difficult. They practice knife safety, pouring and measuring, and opening containers and packaging.
“We are really trying to be as hands-off as possible and have them problem solve and work through any tasks they might find frustrating,” Hanisko said.
For Browning, a main focus is on larger language skills: problem solving, asking for help, being able to tell the steps to a recipe. Voice-to-text typing helps them on computers, and learning to access websites helps them find information and search for jobs. Future plans are to start a mock store, where they can practice being an employee and customer.
During cooking sessions, students have chopped apple slices and topped them with peanut butter and other ingredients, and made pizza bagels. A bonus activity, pumpkin carving and pumpkin seed roasting, led to making creative designs and a tasty treat.
The program has received a lot of community support. Heidi’s Farmstand and Bakery donated pumpkins. Flat River Outreach Ministries donated clothes for students to practice sorting, organizing and folding items as part of job skill training, and a yoga teacher from Special Olympics volunteered time for a self-care session.
‘Especially from a life skills perspective, having both of our skill sets is really important for what we are working on.’
— speech language pathologist Lauren Browning
Autumn used what she learned in class to make apple slices with toppings at home.
“I like cooking for my family and friends,” she said.
Sixth-grader Sawyer Szaske said it’s important to know how to cook.
“It might help you in the future when you have kids. You can bake stuff,” he said.
Read more from Lowell:
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