Jennifer O’Toole is the winner of the 2012 Temple Grandin Award, a recipient of GRASP’s 2012 Distinguished Spectrumite Medal, 2012 AuKids Speaker of the Year and a nominee for the 2012 Autism Society Book Award and Godiva’s Woman of the Year. TV actress/Activist Holly Robinson Peete even listed Jennifer among her “Autism Parent Superstars.” Most recently, she was added to the “Who’s Who” list of International Aspie Mentors --- along with Temple Grandin and Stephen Shore --- to contribute to Dr. Tony Attwood’s “Been There. Done That. Try This.” anthology. But it’s Jennifer’s unique “have a cup of coffee with me” conversationalist presentation of useful insights which has touched hearts, lightened spirits and even led to the founding of Asperkids, LLC, a multi-media social education company.

O’Toole was diagnosed with Aspergers in adulthood, is the mother of three Asperkids, the wife of an Aspie, an award-winning educator and author of the internationally-celebrated Asperkids book series.

She keynotes internationally, including for the Autism Society of America’s National Conference, the North American Montessori Teachers’ Association, The National Inclusion Project, the UK’s National Autistic Society, Ireland’s SHINE and at mega conferences alongside Drs. Grandin and Attwood.  She is a mentor for Yale’s Child Study Center where her books serve as foundational texts, and a member of The Global Montessori Alliance. Her Facebook Fan Page and Asperkids blog have both been chosen by Disney/Babble to the Top 30 Autism Sites in the World.

O’Toole is a featured columnist for Autism Asperger’s Digest and The Australian Autism Asperger’s Network Magazine, contributing as well to Autism Spectrum Quarterly, “Special” Magazine and many more.

O’Toole graduated with honors from Brown University and has since studied at the Graduate School of Social Work at Columbia University and Graduate School of Education at Queens University. Subsequent initiatives with young people garnered her an invitation to serve on North Carolina’s Governor’s Commission on Domestic Violence, and a nomination for Disney’s American Teacher of the Year Award in her first year of teaching.

In response to the overwhelming popularity of her message, she founded Asperkids, LLC, a multimedia social education company that prides itself on clever creativity, useful strategies and relentless positivity.

Books by Jennifer Cooke O’Toole

The Asperkid's (Secret) Book of Social Rules: The Handbook of Not-so-obvious Social Guidelines for Tweens and Teens With Asperger Syndrome

by Jennifer Cooke O’Toole - Education, Health, Nonfiction

Being a teen or tween isn't easy for anyone  ---  but it's especially tough for Asperkids. Asperkdis deserve their very own guide to all of the hidden social rules that are awfully confusing, even if they seem obvious to everyone else.