Hi, my name is Immy.
I am five years old and I am a star baker.
I am also autistic. My autism means that I sometimes find it hard to focus on things for a particular length of time and my concentration wanders. But I have never found this a problem when I bake. It’s worth sticking with a project if it’s going to lead to cake, right?!
Practicing my focus and concentration through my baking has also helped me use those skills to do other things, like learning to read and write. Baking also helps me with my communication. I have a severe speech delay and find it very hard to say what I want or need. At the moment I use a mixture of PECS (picture exchange communication), some speech, and the occasional makaton sign (just to keep everyone on their toes). When I was smaller I would just give Mummy a picture of what I wanted to bake. Now I’m progressing I can tell her that I want to bake (and sometimes what I want to bake) with my words, and then I use my PECS to tell her what ingredients I need her to get.
My autism can also make me feel a bit unsettled, and my senses can get out of alignment sometimes. I find the mixing and pouring and the different smells and textures of baking relaxing, and it makes me feel happy and calm again.
I hope you like reading about my bakes. I will share my recipes as well and maybe you can have a go and send me pictures? Just remember that if you’re having a wobbly day, and you don’t know what to do with yourself, there is always cake 😋