I've been asked several times now about what books on ASD, anxiety and mindfulness would I recommend.
And there are so many to chose from - I read because I love reading and it is one of the ways that I wind down in the evenings. I also figure that the more I read up on ASD, ADHD and anxiety, then the more informed I will become to assist my little superheroes.
Some of these books you may be able to find in your local bookstore, however quite a few I ordered online.
I have begun to add books that both O and L enjoy reading.
And just to clarify, I do not receive any commissions or other payments for recommending these books. These are simply the books that I and my children have found useful.
Anxiety
Explaining Anxiety to Children
ASD
Explaining ASD to Children
Explaining Mindfulness to Children
Autism and Emotional Regulation Books for children.
Just for Fun Books for Children
Novels with an autism/disability theme.
And there are so many to chose from - I read because I love reading and it is one of the ways that I wind down in the evenings. I also figure that the more I read up on ASD, ADHD and anxiety, then the more informed I will become to assist my little superheroes.
Some of these books you may be able to find in your local bookstore, however quite a few I ordered online.
I have begun to add books that both O and L enjoy reading.
And just to clarify, I do not receive any commissions or other payments for recommending these books. These are simply the books that I and my children have found useful.
Anxiety
- First we make the beast beautiful by Sarah Wilson
- Anxious Kids - How children can turn their anxiety into resilience by Michael Grose and Dr Jodi Richardson
- Worry-Proofing Your Anxious Child by Bev Aisbett
- Anxiety by Dr Mark Cross
Explaining Anxiety to Children
- The Angry Octopus by Lori Lite.
- The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside.
- I have a Worry by Tanya Balcke - this is written by an Australian author and can be ordered direct through her website.
- The Monsters Inside by Belinda O'Brien.
- Hey Warrior by Karen Young. We've been able to purchase this book through Booktopia as it is sold out in other parts of the world.
- Hey Awesome by Karen Young. This is the sequel to Hey Warrior and is also a brilliant book for children.
- The Problem with Problems by Rachel Rooney and Zehra Hicks
- The Worrysaurus by Rachel Bright and Chris Chatterton
- The Worrying Worries by Racehl Rooney and Zebra Hicks
ASD
- Pretending to be Normal by Liane Holliday Willey.
- The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin.
- Been There. Done That. Try This, Edited by Tony Attwood.
- The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida.
- Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Being Human by Dr Barry M. Prizant and Thomas Fields-Meyer
- NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman
Explaining ASD to Children
- I See Things Differently by Pat Thomas.
- The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder (And Their Parents) by Elizabeth Verdick and Elizabeth Reeve, M.D.
- Isaac and His Amazing Asperger Superpowers! by Melanie Walsh.
- A Different Kind of Brilliant by Louise Cummins
- The Awesome Autistic Go-to Guide by Yenn Purkis and Tanya Masterman
ADHD
- New Understanding ADHD by DR Christopher Green and Dr Kit Chee
- Be Mindful and Simplify your Life by Kate James.
- Mindfulness at Work by Dr Stephen McKenzie.
- The Mindful Child by Susan Kaiser Greenland.
Books about Disability
- Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say and How to be an Ally by Emily Landau
Explaining Mindfulness to Children
- A Handful of Quiet by Thich Nhat Hanh.
- How Full Is Your Bucket? for kids by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer.
- Little Monkey Calms Down by Michael S. Dahl
- The Monsters Inside by Belinda O'Brien
- Mindful, published by Lake Press, illustrations by Sarah Wood
Resilience in Children
- 9 Ways To A Resilient Child by Dr Justin Coulson, PhD
Sleep
- The Rabbit Who wants to Fall asleep by Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin.
- The Little Elephant Who Wants to Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin.
Autism Journeys
- Sam's Best Shot by Dr James Best
- A Friend Like Henry by Nuala Gardner - this is Nuala's families journey with her sons Autism Assistance Dog!!
Autism and Emotional Regulation Books for children.
- The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: the story of Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca
- The ABC Book of Feelings by Helen Martin, Judith Simpson and Cheryl Orsini
- All for Me and None for All by Helen Lester
- Wesley the Werewolf by Lauren Earner
- my Calm Me Down book by Trace Moroney.
- The Color Monster by Anna Llenas
Books about Dogs, working dogs to be exact!
- Henry the Hero by yours truly!!
- Dogs with Jobs 1 and Dogs with Jobs 2 by Natalie Leski.
Other Medical Conditions.
This is a recent addition as O was provisionally diagnosed in 2022 with hypermobility Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and as such we have been reading up on the condition so that we can assist O.
- A Guide to Living With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (Hypermobility Type by Isobel Knight.
Just for Fun Books for Children
These are books that both little superheroes enjoy reading, or in L's case having read to him.
- Let's Play by Herve Tullet
- First To The Top, Sir Edmund Hillary's Amazing Everest Adventure by David Hill
- Sky High, Jean Batten's Incredible Flying Adventures by David Hill
- What Would She Do by Kay Woodward
- Stories for Boys Who Dare to be Different by Ben Brooks
- The Odd 1s Out by James Rallison
- Back to Sleep by Zoe Foster Blake
- The Wrong Book by Nick Bland
- Are You Scared Darth Vader by Adam Red
- Can I join Your Club by John Kelly and Steph Laberis
- Do not lick this book by Iran Ben-barak and Julian Frost
- Superbat by Matt Carr
- Goodnight Baby Bat by Dabi Gliori
Novels with an autism/disability theme.
I will add that not all of the covers of these novels stated that they were autism based. However, while reading them, I could relate some of our autism journey to the story being told in the book.
- A Boy made of Blocks by Keith Stuart
- Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
- I Hid My Voice by Parinoush Saniee
- Talking to Alaska by Anna Woltz (a great novel based on a Diabetes Assistance Dog!)
Thanks for these ideas, looks like a great reading list to start with. I do hope that you are going to add to the list as you read more. Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge.
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