The Best Book List For Kids With Autism
Reading is an important skill that helps build communication skills, develops language and fosters comprehension of various things including the world around us and our inner concerns. Every book contains a unique perspective that can inform, educate or even entertain us. For kids and teens with autism, reading is a great way to help kids understand ASD and to develop an understanding of social skills. Here is a list of 16 books of all different types to share the joy of reading and books with kids and teens with autism.
Picture Books
- My Book Full Of Feelings: How To Control And React To The Size Of Your Emotions – A workbook to help parents, teachers and kids identify their emotions through pictures, as well as techniques to deal with those emotions appropriately.
- All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome – A playful look at ASD that draws similarities between the behaviors and sensitivities of cats that people with ASD happen to share.
- The Conversation Train – A vibrantly colorful picture book that uses trains as a metaphor for conversations to help kids with ASD understand and improve their conversational skills.
Sensory And Pop-Up Books
- Point To Happy – Combining the accessibility of a picture book with the sensory fun of tactile objects, point to happy is written and designed for kids with autism, helping grow their understanding of complex emotions with appropriate pictures and sensory fun.
- That’s Not My Monkey – All of the books in the Touchy-Feely book series that That’s Not My Monkey is part of are sensory friendly books that have various surfaces for kids to touch and feel.
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Slide And Find – A book that introduces animals and colors in a unique fashion with a find and slide door to get kids involved in the reading.
Books About Autism
- Ben Has Autism. Ben Is Awesome – This book is about Ben, who is 5 and has autism, wherein Ben explains awesome things he can do and challenges he faces. This is a great tool to help young kids understand autism and how it affects their life.
- Different Like Me: My Book Of Autism Heroes – This book introduces children to famous or inspirational people throughout history with ASD.
- All My Stripes – A book that follows Zane the Zebra who has autism and worries that he won’t fit in with his surroundings, but comes to understand that autism is only one of the many things that makes him special.
Books That Help Kids Develop New Skills
- When My Worries Get Too Big – A book that helps kids explore the anxiety that comes from losing control with helpful ways to maintain control and less anxious.
- Calm-Down Time – An illustrated book for young children that helps kids and parents understand meltdowns and tantrums with tools to help kids calm down.
- Hands Are Not For Hitting – A fun helpful read, that teaches kids that violence is not okay and that hands are for so much more than acting in anger.
- The Way I Feel – A rhyming text kids book that portrays a range of emotions and their appearance or related feelings. This is a valuable one that we commonly use at Lexington Services.
Books For Older Kids And Teens With ASD
- The Asperkid’s (Secret) Book Of Social Rules: The Handbook Of Not-So-Obvious Social Guidelines For Tweens And Teens With Asperger Syndrome – The totally secret manual of social rules and guidelines to make life easier for tweens and teens with ASD. This book helps older kids and teens learn social awareness and skills without condescension or preaching.
- How To Be Human: Diary Of An Autistic Girl – A powerful journey and examination of life with autism as a teenage girl that includes her strategies to learn facial expressions and social cues, make friends, and make it through school.
- The Categorical Universe Of Candice Phee – This novel is perfect for young people and teens with ASD, depicting a quirky, independent main character, Candice Phee, and her everyday life with autism.
As research and understanding of autism has gotten better over the years, an abundance of resources have become available for kids and parents learning about autism. If your child has ASD and you would like to help their development, then you should see what Lexington Services has to offer. We have a range of services, both in-home and in-center, that give kids the understanding and support they need so they can grow and thrive. Call 480-900-1009 today to schedule a tour or to find out more information.
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