Toastmasters, Public Speaking and Making Connections with Judi Uttal and Dr. Sasha Zeedyk

Judi Uttal is president of the Orange County Asperger’s Support Group, a nonprofit organization improving the quality of life for individuals and families dealing with high-functioning autism. She is a member of several organizations, all working to support the neurodiverse community. In 2022, Judi founded the Autism in Entertainment Workgroup to help support inclusion in the entertainment industry. She is the mother of a 33-year-old son who was diagnosed with Autism at the age of three.

Dr. Sasha Zeedyk is an Associate Professor at California State University in Fullerton. Her research is mainly focused on the social and behavior skills of youth with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities across the course of development. She is interested in understanding how behavior problems and social skills relate to social, mental health, and academic outcomes for these youth, as well as how these skills impact their parents’ psychological well-being. Recently, she has begun to study postsecondary outcomes for youth with ASD who attend college.