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
Families and children cozied up in the warmth of this charming library while the piano played in the background. Also hosted on May 8th was a book sale. Usually this is held semi-annually, however, due to covid precautions and safety guidelines for the state and protection of patrons, the library had held off on hosting over the past year. Both events were put together by the Director of the Library, Diane Johnson, as well as the rest of the Library staff members.
ABOUT THE ATTENDEES
Borderless Arts Tennessee is a non-profit organization run by the state of Tennessee, committed to presenting programs for individuals with disabilities. Through the aids it provides, it adds to the enjoyment and empowerment of the community. For more information, visit their website here.
The Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities has a Facebook page, hosted by the DIDD Communications Department. Their mission is to support all people statewide in “living the lives they envision for themselves.” Their page aims to promote an informative and community-focused online experience.
Mary Elizabeth Jackson is an author and advocate for Autism TN. She co-hosted the interview conducted on Amazon Live with Bridgetti Lim Banda, May 8th 2021, on Autism and special needs.
Rainbow Mosho is a twelve-year-old artist and author with Autism, working her way towards empowering other children and families with special needs through her inspirational work. Her goal is to “give hope to all the kids in the world” with her book and words.
Chelsea Radojcic-DiCicco is a local children’s author living just outside of Nashville TN, currently seeking representation. Her memoir, ADHD and Me, was inspired by events in her own childhood and deals with the day-to-day challenges and triumphs as seen through the eyes of an eight-year-old little girl named Malory.
Throughout the story, “Malory” expresses her feelings and observations towards others around her and describes the challenges presented not only for herself, but for her parents and teachers as they strive to best care for her needs. The story lightly touches on real life topics such as trips to the Principal’s office as well as the decision whether or not to take medication. Malory identifies her support system, consisting of her family and one particularly gifted art teacher by the name of Ms. Julie. Ms. Julie, diagnosed with Autism at a young age, “understands what it’s like to do things a little bit differently,” and now uses art to help guide children like Malory to find their own inner calm. The story ends on a positive note of hope that “maybe one day” her story will be read by someone else who struggles with something and it will “help them and remind them that they too are beautiful and loved.” The closing line reads, “Your differences are precious gifts… embrace them.” ADHD and Me is a beautiful celebration of neurodiverse learning. It is currently being hosted for free download on NetGalley. For more about the author, please check out the ABOUT THE AUTHOR tab of this website.
