Bread therapy can be applied in a variety of environments and types of groups. One of the groups we work closely in the last 5 years is a groups of children and youngsters with an autism spectrum disorder. Bread therapy has proven to be truly effective for them and this year together with Autism Association we implemented a 9 month project (from March until November) aiming at addressing the need for various art-therapeutic daily activities for children, young people and adults with General Development Disorder and their families.

Group therapeutic sessions with the social innovation of Bread Therapy were organized in specially developed thematic workshops. The project provided access to Bread Therapy to 24 participants. The activities were aimed to make participants feel emotionally charged, respected, active and capable. The kneading improved their fine motor skills and orientation, and the made bakery products brought satisfaction, as they were perceived as evidence of participants’ efficiency and developed skills. This increased confidence, self-belief abilities, self-esteem and a sense of personal effectiveness in everyday life.

At the end of project the participants themselves prepared a recipe book with all the recipes we have prepared in these 9 months, describing in details all the ingredients and processes of cooking. Through the preparation of bread, sweet seasonal desserts, salty cakes, pasta and traditional pastry we managed to cover a vast amount of educational topics and put focus on work with emotions and self-control. What is more we had so much fun and new delicious products that every next event was like a fresh breath of hope and love in a time of physical and social isolation.