Summary of evidence quality of 6 cooking skills related articles | FOI document library

FOI 24/25- 0013 | DOCUMENT 32

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Please note: The research and literature reviews collated by our TAB Research Team are not to be shared external to the Branch. These are for internal TAB use only and are intended to assist our advisors with their reasonable and necessary decision-making.

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The Research Team are unable to ensure that the information listed below provides an accurate & up-to-date snapshot of these matters

Research question: Please evaluate the study quality of the following references provided to TAB as support for a Thermomix for an individual with autism:

Nicollet, C., Zale, R., & Urbanowicz, A. (2016). Spectrum cooking. Evaluation of cooking classes for young adults on the autism spectrum – executive summary.

Gustin, L., Funk, H. E., Reibolt, W., Parker, Em., Smith, N., & Blaine, R. (2020). Gaining independence: cooking classes tailored for college students with autism (practice brief). Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 33(4), 395-403.

Bal, V. H., Kim, S-H., Cheong, D., Lord, C. (2015). Daily living skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder from 2 to 21 years of age. Autism, 19(7), 774-784.

Goldschmidt, J., & Song, H-J. (2017). Development of cooking skills as nutrition intervention for adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 117(5), 671-679.

Smith, K. A., Ayres, K. A., Alexander, J., Ledford, J. R., Shepley, C., & Shepley, S. B. (2016). Initiation and generalisation of self-instructional skills in adolescents with autism and intellectual disability. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46, 1196-1209.

Ayres, K., & Cihak, D. (2010). Computer- and Video-based instruction of food-preparation skills: acquisition, generalisation, and maintenance. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 48(3), 195-208.

Date: 23/2/2023

Requestor: Shannon redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant

Endorsed by:

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Researcher: Stephanie redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant mate and Aaron redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant ma Cleared by: Stephanie redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant mat

1. Contents

Summary of evidence quality of 6 cooking skills related articles ………………………………………… 1

Contents ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Summary ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2
Articles ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

2. Summary

Six articles are examined below. Five of the articles describe an intervention aiming to improve cooking skills of people with developmental disabilities. The other article is an observational study examining predictors of daily living skills in people with autism. Five of the included studies describe people with autism and three describe people with intellectual or other developmental disabilities.

These studies provide low quality evidence that people with autism or intellectual disability can be assisted to develop cooking skills. The main limitations of the studies are high risk of bias, low sample sizes, uncontrolled study designs and unsystematised review methods. No randomised controlled trials or systematic reviews were included, which are considered the highest quality of evidence due to a lower risk of bias.

None of the included studies discuss the Thermomix or any other thermal cookers available on the market. In fact, while acknowledging the limitations of the articles included, they all support the possibility of assisting people with autism or intellectual disability to learn traditional cooking skills.

3. Articles

Nicollet, C., Zale, R., & Urbanowicz, A. (2016). Spectrum cooking. Evaluation of cooking classes for young adults on the autism spectrum – executive summary.

This study does not mention the Thermomix or any other thermal cookers available on the market.

This reference is an executive summary of the research, even so the evidence quality is low: only 4 individuals provided data about the cooking program and data was collected 12 months after the program ceased which may introduce biased/distorted recollections. There was no control group as it related to feedback/lived-experience of a specific cooking class program.

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The research evaluated cooking classes for individuals with autism. The purpose of the program was to practice cooking related skills. Participants were assisted to practice skills such as following recipes and kneading dough. The classes also provided an opportunity for participants to try new foods, socialise and cooperate. There were four study participants between the ages 18-22 years old (however the cooking classes involved 6 individuals). Evaluation of the cooking classes was qualitative via structured interview with key questions. This data was collected 12 months after the cooking class program finished. The research did not discuss appliances used in the cooking program and whether study participants found cooking appliances beneficial.

One of the feedback comments regarding the cooking program related to sensory considerations, “…be mindful of the person’s needs, when it comes to Asperger’s they may not like loud noises around you know, banging pots and everything, the smells might be too much or something like that.”

Note: The following passage is taken from the Thermomix website acknowledging the volume:

How loud is the Thermomix ®? – Vorwerk International Help Center (2018)

The Thermomix ® works very quietly in almost all situations. As with all motorized kitchen appliances, the Thermomix® may get noisier for a short time when starting to chop hard foods such as grains, ice, or frozen fruits. The device produces a similar level of noise to a grain mill, but it reduces after just a few seconds.

If the Thermomix is to loud.

As using the Thermomix® to chop big pieces of vegetables, the device may start to vibrate and produce a loud noise. If that happens, consider cutting the vegetables into smaller pieces that may fit between the cutting knife of the device. Assure that the device lays stable on an even surface and that there is nothing under the device like a power cord.

Considering the finishing sound of the device that informs you that the step is finished, you may set up the volume of that sound in the device settings.

Gustin, L., Funk, H. E., Reibolt, W., Parker, Em., Smith, N., & Blaine, R. (2020). Gaining independence: cooking classes tailored for college students with autism (practice brief). Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 33(4), 395-403.

This study does not mention the Thermomix or any other thermal cookers available on the market.

Evidence quality is low: it is a pre-test post-test design without a control group, the participant number is small, the outcome measures were based on a questionnaire completed by the participants which is vulnerable to bias.

The article reviews the effectiveness of a six week cooking course designed to teach cooking skills to college students with autism. The cooking program was part of a broader ‘Learning Independence for Empowerment (LIFE) Project’ for students with disabilities. The paper states that recipes in the cooking class were intended to teach basic skills without becoming

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overwhelming for the students, such as knife skills, baking, cooking on a stove top and using a blender.

The literature review conducted by the authors acknowledged the link between autism traits and feeding behaviour that may impact health and daily living skills. Out of 16 cooking class participants, full data-sets (pre- and post-tests) were collected from 11; study participants were aged between 19-26 years old. The outcomes for the research were to determine if the cooking classes increased cooking confidence, increased frequency of cooking at home, and increased willingness to try new foods. It was found the students increased their home cooking by an average of one meal per week, confidence in cooking increased, and acceptance of new foods increased. The research does not describe how much of each specific cooking skill was practiced and if one cooking method was preferred by participants over another. The research mentions appliances such as stove and blender bit does not describe whether or how often participants used appliances.

Bal, V. H., Kim, S-H., Cheong, D., Lord, C. (2015). Daily living skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder from 2 to 21 years of age. Autism, 19(7), 774-784.

This study does not mention the Thermomix or any other thermal cookers available on the market.

Evidence quality is low-to-moderate due to the study design and potential lack of generalisability. This study is a longitudinal observational study with no control group. While the study starts with a good sized sample, attrition over time reduced the representativeness of the group and therefore limits generalisability.

The study purpose was to investigate predictors of attainment of daily living skills for individuals with autism. Daily living skills were measured by the Vinelands scale for adaptive functioning and was recorded at regular intervals (2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 13, 18 and 21 years old). This data was used to predict the trajectory of daily living skills for individuals with autism. Food preparation skills were assessed as part of the Vineland interview, though this aspect of daily living skills received only minimal focus as part of the study.

Goldschmidt, J., & Song, H-J. (2017). Development of cooking skills as nutrition intervention for adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 117(5), 671-679.

This study does not mention the Thermomix or any other thermal cookers available on the market.

Evidence quality is low due to study design and risk of bias. This study is a narrative literature review and opinion piece.

The authors argue that cooking skills can change a person’s relationship with food as well as contribute to improved nutritional status. The article is a promotion of a program called Active Engagement, which is aims to increase generalised cooking skills and independence in the kitchen for adults with autism. In the first stage of the program, participants were required to

prepare salads by learning learn how to chop, cut, grate and peel. Once participants demonstrated these skills, they could progress to the next stage of using small, low risk, low appliances and eventually larger appliances. This article only focuses on the first salad-making stage of the program and does not detail study participants’ experience with using cooking appliances.

Smith, K. A., Ayres, K. A., Alexander, J., Ledford, J. R., Shepley, C., & Shepley, S. B. (2016). Initiation and generalisation of self-instructional skills in adolescents with autism and intellectual disability. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46, 1196-1209.

This study does not mention the Thermomix or any other thermal cookers available on the market.

Evidence quality is low due to study design. This is a pre-test/post-test study with no control group and a small sample size of just 4 participants.

The study investigated whether video material can facilitate self-instructional learning for adolescents with autism and intellectual disability. The content of the videos included kitchen, office and other household skills. Kitchen processes included putting popcorn in the microwave, brushing zucchini with olive oil, and making lemonade.

Note: Although this research did not reference Thermomix or thermal cookers, some Thermomix (TM6) guided-cooking recipes now have video instructions which it could be argued is a similar scenario to this research of teaching an individual to self-instruct.

Ayres, K., & Cihak, D. (2010). Computer- and Video-based instruction of food-preparation skills: acquisition, generalisation, and maintenance. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 48(3), 195-208.

This study does not mention the Thermomix or any other thermal cookers available on the market.

Evidence quality is low due to study design and age of paper. This is a pre-test/post-test study with no control group and a small sample size of just 3 participants. The paper was published 13 years ago, which may affect the relevance of the technology-based interventions described.

This study evaluated the effect of computer-based video instruction on learning life skills, such as making a sandwich, microwaving soup or setting a table. Computer-based video instruction was found to facilitate skill acquisition in the immediate term, however skills were shown to have declined at the 6- and 12-week assessments. On repeating the training, the skill was reacquired.