What Are Your Favorite Neurodivergent Kids' Books for All Ages and Stages?

Seeking neurodiversity-affirming, candid stories for our atypical kids, to help them understand themselves and find their place in the world.

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“My 5 year old grandson is atypical…
I have been reading through your list of parenting books for neurodivergent kiddos and was wondering if you have a reading list for the kids. I am a former school social worker and most of what I know is outdated. There has been an explosion of great information in the past 5 years or so.”

-Mindy G.

Thanks for writing, Mindy. I love hearing from you, and I’m sorry this list has taken so long to compile. It is still unfinished, and probably always will be…

Yes! There have been so many wonderful new resources published! I’m hoping you all will help me expand this list by putting your favorites in the comments. (As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

When searching for books to help me explain my son’s diagnosis to him, I discovered that many books in this category explain our kids’ traits to their neurotypical peers. Others were surprisingly negative, or so general that they didn’t really say anything at all.

That’s not what this list is about.

It’s for our kids. To help them understand themselves. We’re striving for neurodiversity-affirming yet candid stories for kids in all developmental ranges, so if you’re not seeing what you need here, ask!

If you know of a book that should be on this list, please add it in the comments…

Here’s my favorite recent picture book by the incredible, creative, eloquent, and honest Tiffany Hammond of Fidgets and Fries:

A Day With No Words shares what life can look like for families who use nonverbal communication. The story follows a mother and child on a day where they use a tablet to communicate with others. This beautifully illustrated picture book “normalizes communication methods outside of verbal speech and provides representation of neurodiversity and autism in a way that affirms and celebrates.”

I’ve changed my mind on some books we used to love…

That’s the nature of living in an ableist world: We’re always working on becoming more inclusive. We continue to grow and evolve, thank goodness! Here are some we enjoyed when my son was growing up:

Why Johnny Doesn’t Flap: NT is OK! “The autistic narrator's bafflement at his neurotypical friend's quirks shows that 'normal' is simply a matter of perspective.”

This was fun: Blue Bottle Mystery - The Graphic Novel: An Asperger Adventure.

Spaghetti Is Not a Finger Food (and other life lessons) is told from the perspective of a kid who is getting in a lot of trouble at school. It’s probably controversial, but Ocean thought it was hilarious.

Autism Is...? In this book for young autistic children, a little boy overhears his grandma telling her friend that he has autism, so she explains in simplified terms.

Percy Plays It Safe (and the whole I See I Learn Series) offers clear visual cues and an easy-to-follow story to teach children the fundamentals of safety. The animal characters are not explicitly neurodiverse, but super helpful.

Here are several books recommended by parents of neurodivergent kids, and neurodivergent parents…

Shelley, the Hyperactive Turtle “This book helped me so much on how to explain to my kid about his disorder. While I'm reading, he's like, ‘Mommy. I’m like that,’ or, ‘Mommy, that's what you do for me, right?’“

Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has been recommended by so many parents. “Feeling different, especially as a kid, can be tough. But in the same way that different types of plants and flowers make a garden more beautiful and enjoyable, different types of people make our world more vibrant and wonderful.”

“I love When Stars Are Scattered. The main character/narrator is not identified as neurodivergent, but his brother is (mostly) non-speaking and arguably the most important secondary character in the book. He is portrayed with agency, ways of communicating, his own interests and a range of emotions.”

More Book Recommendations From Parents:

• A Whole New Ballgame

• All My Stripes

• The Girl Who Thought in Pictures

• Bitsy Bat, School Star

• Spencer's Special Interests

• The Day You Begin

• A Friend for Henry

• The Big Umbrella

• It's Okay To Be Different

• Be Who You Are

This list by Not An Autism Mom is an extensive, vetted and categorized archive of neurodiversity-affirming books for kids and teens to read: 100-ish Inclusive Children’s Books on Autism and Neurodiversity.

What books do you and your kids love? Please share in the comments.

Thanks for reading to the end! Here are some gifts for you:

Would you like some gratitude journal prompts? Click the photo below:

Embrace Self-Care to Avoid Black Friday Burnout

Oh, and I don’t think I need to worry about Ocean’s appetite anymore: instagram.selfregulatedparent