Hello, hello! As many of my neurodiverse friends know, April is AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH. Being neurodiverse myself, and being a librarian, of course, I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by… I just had to come up with a list of wonderful books for the occasion. In honor of Autism Awareness Month, I decided to branch out on all spectrums of neurodiversity. So, without further ado, here are over 100 book recommendations, ranging from children's picture books and middle-grade stories, teen and young adult fiction and adult reads!
For Children’s Picture Books 1. Up and Adam by Debbie Zapata 2. ADHD and Me by Chelsea DiCicco 3. All My Stripes: A Story for Children with Autism by Shaina Rudolph and Danielle Royer 4. How to Build a Hug: Temple Grandin and Her Amazing Squeeze Machine by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville 5. It Was Supposed to Be Sunny by Samantha Cotterill 6. Juan Has the Jitters! by Aneta Cruz 7. The Girl Who Thought In Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca 8. Big Truck Play Date by Laurie Carmody 9. Rowdy in the Library by Yvonne Fletcher 10. Cory Stories: A Kid's Book About Living with ADHD by Jeanne Kraus 11. The Playground Problem: a book about anxiety by Dr. Tracy Packiam Alloway 12. The Perfect Project: a book about autism by Dr. Tracy Packiam Alloway 13. The Classroom Mystery: a book about ADHD by Dr. Tracy Packiam Alloway 14. My Friend has Autism by Amanda F. Doering 15. Some Kids Have Autism by Martha Rustad 16. Aurora's Gift by Emily Bunny 17. A Friend for Henry by Jenn Bailey 18. Dyslexia by Ann Squire 19. Balloons by Rainbow Mosho 20. Dyslexia: My Health Series by Alvin Silverstein 21. The Abilities in Me ADHD by Gemma Keir 22. Dyslexic Brains Are Beautiful Brains by Kaitlin McCartny 23. My Wandering Mind by Merriam Sarcia Saunders 24. A Walk in Words by Hudson Talbott 25. A Friend for Henry by Jenn Bailey 26. Different- A Great Thing to Be! By Heather Avis 27. When things get too loud: A story about sensory overload by Anne Alcott 28. When Oliver Speaks by Kimberly Garvin 29. Me is Awesome: The Story of my Dyspraxic World (Dyspraxia) by Terri Lamberton 30. My Friend Josh Has DCD by Christine R Draper 31. What Your Friend With Apraxia Wants You To Know by Laura T Bruno 32. Beyond Words: A Child's Journey Through Apraxia by Dana Hall 33. My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete 34. Dyslexic Legends Alphabet by Beck Feiner 35. Mindfulness Workbook for Kids with ADHD: Engaging Activities to Help Children Clam, Focus, Self-Regulate, and to Promote Health and Wellness in Children by Jennie Miller
For Children’s Middle-Grade 1. The Spaghetti Detectives by Andreas Steinhöfel 2. A Perfect Mistake by Melanie Conklin 3. The Brave by James Bird 4. Tune it Out by Jamie Sumner 5. The Summer of June by Jamie Sumner 6. Roll With It by Jamie Sumner 7. One Kid's Trash by Jamie Sumner 8. Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalypse by Susan Vaught 9. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by Bruce Hyman 10. The Autism Acceptance book: Being a Friend to Someone with Autism by Ellen Sabin 11. Best Kept Secret : The Third Generation by Ann M Martin 12. Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World by Sy Montgomery 13. Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an Inventor by Temple Grandin 14. Get a grip by Cohen Vivy 15. Real by Carol Cujec 16. Bad Best Friend by Rachel Vail 17. The Someday Birds by Sally Pla 18. The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson 19. Can you see me? by Libby Scott 20. A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll 21. Nobody's perfect by Marlee Matlin 22. Superstar by Mandy Davis 23. Focused by Alyson Gerber 24. Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
For Young Adult/Teens 1. Compulsion by Heidi Ayarbe 2. Stuff That's Loud: A Teen's Guide To Unspiraling When Ocd Gets Noisy Ben Sedley 3. Obsessed: A Memoir Of My Life With OCD by Allison Britz 4. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green 5. Six goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger 6. The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison 7. Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann 8. The Easy Part of Impossible by Sarah Wones Tomp 9. The Anxiety Survival Guide For Teens : CBT Skills To Overcome Fear, Worry & Panic by Jennifer Shannon 10. Don't Touch by Rachel M. Wilson 11. A List of Cages by Robin Roe 12. Slider by Pete Hautman 13. Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer 14. Kids Like Us by Hilary Reyl 15. The Spectrum Girl's Survival Guide : How to Grow up Awesome and 16. Autistic by Siena Castellon
For Adults 1. A Thorn In My Pocket: Temple Grandin's mother tells the family story by Eustacia Cutler 2. Down Syndrome by Salvatore Tocci 3. Just This Side of Normal by Elizabeth Gerlach 4. Unraveling The ADD/ADHD by Fiasco: Successful Parenting Without Drugs by David Stein 5. Finding Ben : A Mother's Journey Through the Maze of Asperger's By Barbara LaSalle 6. Louder than Words : A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism by Jenny McCarthy, 7. The Asperger's Answer Book : The Top 300 Questions Parents Ask by Susan Ashley 8. Thinking in pictures : And Other Reports From My Life With Autism by Temple Grandin 9. Visual Thinking : The Hidden Gifts Of People Who Think In Pictures, Patterns, And Abstractions by Temple Grandin 10. Unraveling The Mystery Of Autism And Pervasive Developmental Disorder : A Mother's Story Of Research And Recovery by Karyn Seroussi 11. With the Light : Raising An Autistic Child by Keiko Tobe 12. Neurotribes : The Legacy Of Autism And The Future Of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman 13. Getting the Best for Your Child With Autism: An Expert's Guide To Treatment by Bryna Siegel 14. ADHD in Adults: What the Science Says by Russell Barkley 15. The Autism Sourcebook: Everything You Need To Know About Diagnosis, Treatment, Coping, And Healing by Karen Siff Exkorn 16. OCD : A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed by Michael A. Tompkins 17. Against Medical Advice : A True Story by James Patterson 18. The Brain That Changes Itself : Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science by Norman Doidge 19. Asperger's Syndrome : A Guide For Parents 20. And Professionals by Tony Attwood 21. Developing Talents : Careers For Individuals With Asperger 22. Syndrome And High-Functioning Autism by Temple Grandin 23. Dyspraxia Developmental Co-ordination Disorder by Dr. Amanda Kirby
A few other honorable mentions: 1. Listening to My Body: A guide to helping kids understand the connection between their sensations (what the heck are those?) and feelings so that they can get better at figuring out what they need by Gabi Garcia 2. Find Your Calm: A Mindful Approach To Relieve Anxiety And Grow Your Bravery (Growing Heart & Minds) by Gabi Garcia 3. Acceptance is my Superpower: A children’s Book about Diversity and Equality (My Superpower Books) by Alicia Ortego
Interested in learning more about Autism Awareness Month and what it means? Check out some of these cool articles below! Autism Awareness Month Highlights Connection Between ASD and ADHD World Autism Awareness Day 2023: History, Significance, Theme and Important facts on Autism World Autism Awareness Day Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, please like. If you'd like to see when I post new articles, you can subscribe!