OPTIONS Potluck Dinners Deliver Independence

Potluck dinners have become an important tradition at OPTIONS for several years. They were were first started by Independent Living Counselor Aaron Lee (who now works at Brehm as Dorm Parent and Head Brehm Bears Basketball Coach).

For each dinner, there is always a specific theme, perhaps from a region or country or having to do with a holiday or event. Each apartment takes responsibility for preparing one dish to share. (Students receive assistance from staff as needed for preparation). Each week, one apartment acts as host. Students and staff come together to share the meal and enjoy visiting with one another.

The potlucks are vehicles for demonstrating social skills and provide opportunities to sharpen executive functioning skills such as planning and organization. Planning starts with the menu and the grocery list and concludes with a dish that is prepared correctly and on-time. The hosts have to be sure their apartment is ready to receive guests. This often requires moving furniture and some extra cleaning prior to the dinner and cleaning-up after wards. Manners and etiquette are essential and the potluck almost always provides “teachable moments.”

The potlucks provide opportunities to discuss issues as a group forum. It’s also a time when students can showcase their culinary skills and/or recipes from home; it’s not unusual to have some talented chefs. Finally, the potlucks provide opportunities for staff and students to interact in a more relaxed setting, in a context that differs from the normal interactions.

Some successes we have seen include getting feedback from home, such as, “Danielle learned how to make sushi for the first time and she LOVED it.” One student was able to plan and host a dinner for thirty people on her own, by drawing from the potluck experiences. Others have memories of dishes that provided opportunities for improvement, such as brownies that resembled a volcano or problem solving what to serve because the main dish was burnt. Whatever the memory, the potlucks introduce skills (and recipes) that will be of value long after the meal is over.

OPTIONS at Brehm serves post high school students with learning disabilities who need to further develop academic and social skills required for success in college, vocational/technical school, and the workplace.