5 Great Books for Parents of Kids with Autism

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My spunky, fun and incredibly intelligent almost 6 year old also has Autism Spectrum Disorder.  I’ve read a fair number of books about autism and related symptoms a these are the five I found the most helpful in learning about the disorder as it pertains to our family.

Autism Spectrum Disorder by Chantal Sicile-Kira

Autism Spectrum Disorder is very much a handbook on autism.  It is a great starting place if you or a love one is newly diagnosed because it defines the main terms, treatments and interventions that are commonly associated with autism.

The Out of Sync Child by Carol Stock

The title of The Out of Sync Child says it is for coping with sensory processing disorder but lots of children and adults on the autism spectrum also have sensory processing issues  This book gives a great explanation of sensory processing and where it can go wrong  It also gives advice on treating sensory problems as well as coping with problems at home and in school.

Bonus Book: The Out of Sync Child Has Fun

The Out of Sync Child Has Fun is an amazing resource for activities that engage and regulate the senses.  It is organized by sense (vestibular, auditory, etc.) and then by sensory-related skills (oral-motor, motor planning, etc.) for easy reference if you are looking to work on a particular skill with your child.  I have used activities from this book regularly with all three kids so it is definitely a resource for parents of neurotypical children as well.

The Explosive Child by Ross Greene

The Explosive Child was a game changer in how I looked at the behaviors of all three of my children.  I started thinking of what i’d previously thought of as behavioral problems as what Greene called, “logging skilss and unsolved problems”.  Starting there I could work on these lagging skills and unsolved problems and solve the behavior.  This is a must read for any parent of a child, autistic or not, that have meltdowns, get frustrated or otherwise “misbehave”….so, pretty much all kids at some point or another.

The Sensory Child Gets Organized

In full disclosure, I’m not very organized and I didn’t really prioritize being organized.  The Sensory Child Get Organized helped me develop realize I needed to prioritize developing organizational system for my son with Autism and gave me practical ideas in how to do it.  This book literally goes room by room and tells you how to create spaces that are ideal for kids with sensory kids.

Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin

Thinking in Pictures is an amazing book by an absolutely an amazing woman.  The combination of her scientific knowledge and first person knowledge on autism leads to a fascinating book.  If you read just one first person narrative by someone with autism this should be it.  It really helped me understand what it felt like to be on the autism spectrum.

I hope you find some of these books interesting or helpful! What other books have you found helpful on your journey as a parent of a child with autism?  Let me know in the comments.