The Life Skills Program for adults with autism and other disabilities at Cultivating Dreams Farm teaches more than baking a yummy batch of brownies. Life Skills Coordinator Colleen Puchalski has designed a program that is uniquely matched to each person’s goals.
Colleen works closely with direct support staff to fully understand the personal goals of each individual. These goals might include internet or vehicle safety, obtaining a driver’s permit, as well as activities of daily living such as personal hygiene, making a bed, cleaning, or operating a washing machine. Colleen then designs fun and engaging activities, with a pinch of creativity, to help people master these skills.
For instance, to practice social skills, Colleen created a puzzle activity with a twist. The people working on the puzzle had to do so in silence. Instead, they had to collaborate by reading non-verbal cues to successfully complete the puzzle. After the puzzle was finished, they reflected on how they were still able to communicate with each other without the use of words.
“My vision is not only to make life skills applicable to their personal lives but to empower them by giving them opportunities to self-advocate.”
Life Skills Coordinator Colleen Puchalski
“My vision is not only to make life skills applicable to their personal lives but to empower them by giving them opportunities to self-advocate,” says Colleen. People self-advocate by choosing what they would like to work on from a list of activities, such as folding clothes or making a bed properly.
A Farm-to-Table Life Skills Experience
Nutrition and cooking are also part of the life skills for adults with autism program, and a favorite activity is preparing meals in the state-of-the-art kitchen. People collect fresh eggs from the farm’s chickens and pluck peppers from the greenhouse. Using these fresh ingredients, they learn to make an omelet creating a true farm-to-table experience. In the process they understand where food comes from and how to make healthy eating choices. The farm’s gardens also provide colorful flowers with which to decorate the dining table. After learning how to arrange the flowers in mason jars, the jars are brought home to their families as a gift.
About Life Skills Coordinator Colleen Puchalski
Colleen brings to her role as the life skills coordinator experience working with diverse populations. She has taught special education in a farm-based program, and she has instructed girls in the Department of Juvenile Justice. Colleen has also traveled to South Korea where she lived and taught for two years.
"I want the people I teach to go home and tell mom, ‘Hey, I’ve got this!’ Those are the moments I am trying to create."
Life Skills Coordinator Colleen Puchalski
“I want the people I teach to go home and tell mom, ‘Hey, I’ve got this!’ Those are the moments I am trying to create,” says Colleen.
Learn More About the Life Skills for Adults with Autism Program
The Life Skills program is held within the fully furnished farmhouse at 18 Meadow Road, where the laundry facility, fully equipped kitchen, computer center, bedrooms and baths create a warm and inviting atmosphere to learn to be self-reliant. To schedule a tour of the farmhouse and learn more about the Life Skills program, and other programs at Cultivating Dreams Farm, please contact Betty Rivadeneira or call (845) 592 8731.