Baking is a life skill Renel Turner says everyone should have.

“Baking does not have a particular face. It goes for anyone to be honest. So I want to make sure that if you love to bake, regardless of who you are, regardless of your abilities, you can bake," says Renel Turner, owner of Nelly’s Treats Boutique Bakery.

What You Need To Know

  • According to CDC data from 2017, New York is one of the states with the greatest estimated number of adults living with autism

  •  Renel Turner teaches people with disabilities to be independent, through her baking classes

  • Baking requires many skills, such as reading, comprehending and working with math

Thats why she teaches baking classes to adults with special needs, like Tyler. It's in partnership with Wildwood, an organization that supports people with special needs. This class is baking chocolate chip cookies while also learning important life skills.

“When you bake, you know, you're reading. You're reading, you're comprehending, you're also working with math. So you're fractions with measurements and so on," Turner said. 

According to CDC data from 2017, New York is one of the states with the greatest estimated number of adults living with autism.

Getting out into the community is always beneficial for people with disabilities, but these classes also teach independence.

“We love taking people's interests and building upon that. So if there is someone that loves baking in this class, we want to build upon that and we want to make sure that they're doing the activities that they love. So maybe in a day program or at home, they will start making meals or they will start baking more intricate things as well," Vandenburgh said.