Autism Tree Project Food, Farming and Nutrition Program

The mission of the Autism Tree Project Foundation is to improve the health and the lives of children on the autism spectrum. We intend to help them reach their highest level of independence possible to assure that they will lead lives with dignity and competence as contributing members of the community.

The ATPF Food, Farming and Nutrition Program is based on the U.K. Care Farm Model, in which the farm is used as a therapeutic healing space for a variety of in need populations. The program consists of six- three hour sessions at Wild Willow Farm, a 501 C3 farm. 

Each three hour session is broken in two parts:

• 1.5 hrs on the farm, digging in the dirt, learning about sustainability, planting, picking and processing the produce that they grow;  kids also have access to goats for petting and chickens for watching.
• 1.5 hrs in the kitchen for healthy eating classes for kids on the spectrum and their parents.  Kids learn about the food that they grow and harvest from a unique sensory point of view, which allows them to experience food in a new, interesting way that leads to healthier eating behaivors.  A full written explanation of the produce and recipes are provided to the parents.
• Each session ends with creative pizza (GF) making in the kitchen including what they picked and created during their kitchen session(pesto, marinara, other pizza toppings).

The six session are followed up with community aftercare including visit to their homes to assess space for growing vegetables(container gardens or raised beds) and planting appropriate garden.  Additionally, each family will receive two visits from a healthy eating educator to help with them to integrate their learning into their home lives.