Cooking and Gaining Independence

by Kyle Moriarty of Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered

I am an intelligent young man with autism coming into the real world with so much focus on where my life will lead. I have a dream, a goal really, of where my life shall go. I want to be on my own, a king of my own home. I’ll reach these goals through independence. Cooking is where I get my start.

Through this blog, I want to share that cooking meals in my life helps me to be independent and to really work at my individuality. I love to cook because I get to express myself on these occasions. I get to show my love for others in the food I make.

I have been cooking since age eleven. The first thing I liked to do is cook easy things like eggs and noodles. Other simple things I make are homemade twice-baked potatoes. I cook some weekends on the BBQ too. When I cook the anxious feelings I battle are forgotten.

I think that cooking shows my competence. Now I mostly cook every night. I like to help my mom out, and bringing lunch to work every day is easier if I’m cooking. My favorite things to cook are meat on the grill. For my specialty on Saturdays, I like to make Chili or Shepard’s Pie.

I am looking to have more independence as I get older. Cooking helps me with that. My goals of living on my own are more realistic to me if I can provide for myself by being able to fulfill my basic needs. I am hoping that by reading this, it will encourage you to learn something new that will get you closer to your independence.