Welcome!

Jennifer has the personal and professional experience, the sense of humour, passion and the wisdom to help you to harness the power and skills to navigate the world of autism, as a parent, educator, family member or professional.

She is a special education teacher, consultant, author and an international speaker with a special focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder. Most importantly, she is a mother of three children, one of whom, is an adult son with Autism.

Jennifer is the author of four books:

Been There. Done That. Finally Getting it Right. A Guide to Educational Planning for Students with Autism

One Step at a Time: ABA and Autism in the Classroom; Practical Strategies for Implementing Applied Behaviour Analysis for Student with Autism

 Autism and the Grandparent Connection: Practical Ways to Understand and Help your Grandchild with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Une étape à la fois : ACA et autisme en classe (ABA and Autism in the Classroom) Stratégies pratiques pour implanter l'Analyse Comportementale Appliquée pour élèves autistes (translated by Judith Rioulx Wilson) 

 Education and Training

Jennifer has taught in Ontario, Canada for 25 years. She holds a Master of Education in Applied Psychology and Human Development from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. In addition, Jennifer has studied with Queen’s University and Nipissing University on Special Education and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Since her son’s Autism Diagnosis in 2002, she has undertaken extensive training at the Geneva Centre for Autism in Toronto, Ontario as well as working in a private therapy program for her son under the guidance and direction of the Behaviour Institute in Hamilton, Ontario.

 Real World Experience

Teaching in Ontario, Canada for 25 years equipped Jennifer with vast experience in all kinds of learning differences and challenging learning difficulties. But none would compare with teaching her own son both in the general classroom (for two years) and in private therapy at home. It was these experiences that both drained her emotionally and inspired her professionally. Being the teacher and the mom brought Jennifer face to face with her own teaching philosophy and teaching practices. The critical role of building relationships, compromise and empathy became crystal clear as she sat in both the teacher and parent role.

Living on both sides of a child’s education taught Jennifer many lessons in advocacy. The arbitrary end of her son’s treatment at the age of six moved Jennifer and her husband, Ivars, to pursue three Human Rights Complaints against the provincial government. They were determined to advocate for effective treatment for all children with Autism, not only their son.

Jennifer admits that the journey has been challenging, to say the least. At times, she felt sure that the overwhelming demands of raising a child with Autism would break her emotionally, physically and spiritually. However, her tenacity, and willingness to work with others as well, as her openness to personal development made all the difference. The person Jennifer is today is a direct result of the way she chose to view and tackle the struggle and suffering. 

Jennifer’s Core Beliefs

• Children who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder are best served by adults who are ready to embrace learning and deepen connections.
• Present difficulties are defined by our attitudes towards the situation far more than by the challenging circumstances.
• Every single human being is born with a purpose and a capacity to grow and improve.
• Our children born with autism are here to teach us, to lead and challenge us to become the best version of ourselves as individuals, families and a society.

Autism’s Life Lesson

In 2009, working with high school aged students who were severely affected by their autism, Jennifer sustained a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury that would change her personal life and professional life forever. For years the physical and emotional pain of her injury and the impact it had on her life left her living with darkness and uncertainty.

However, Autism had taught her a lesson: we have the freedom to choose how we respond to life’s curveballs. Determined to find a way to channel her passion, teaching skills, knowledge and experience, in a way that worked with her “new brain” rather than against it, Jennifer retired from teaching in a school. Now, she spends her time designing and teaching online courses, webinars and coaching those who love and educate children with autism. 

Autism Aspirations Academy offers parents, educators, family members, professionals and anyone who wants to grow personally and/or professionally in the face of Autism the opportunity to learn in a safe environment with someone who has been there, done that and gets it!     

Jennifer's Family

Ivars (Jenn's husband, at the left back), her daughters, Karli (front) and Kaiya (left) and son, Kieran. And, of course, Jennifer, at the front on the right.