Jennifer Elder (born 1968, San Francisco)[citation needed] is an American author and assistant editor for the Collins Library of McSweeney's publishing house.
She graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1990.[1]
As the mother of an autistic son, she has written two books for autistic children: Different Like Me and Autistic Planet.[2] Aukids Magazine called Autistic Planet a "delightful children's storybook" and 'Good Autism Practice' found it "engaging and entertaining".[3][4] However, a review of Different Like Me in Community Care magazine criticised its "sentimental depiction of autism".[5] She is married to author Paul Collins, and together they have has appeared on the American Public Media program On Being.[6]
Parenting magazine noted about her book Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes, "Autistic kids 8 and older will enjoy discovering that people like Albert Einstein and Lewis Carroll were also autistic! Each person is given a short bio that includes some of the difficulties they faced. It can provide a self-esteem boost for ASD children."[citation needed]