Children's Books on Autism
Welcome to Children’s Books on autism. This is the place to find books and supporting resources to help children and teens understand more about autism spectrum disorder. There are books to read aloud, books for children to read alone, and books for long-term study and projects. Many of the books include links to supporting materials and videos that will help with planning and save you time looking for additional resources.
How can you use these books? These books can help teachers, administrators, counselors, librarians, family members, and others teach about autism, diversity, friendship, and inclusion.
- Read a book to a group of children and have discussions or do related projects
- Read a book with a class as part of learning about differences and how to include everyone
- Choose a book for the whole school to focus on
- Read a book with a child/teen with autism to help them identify positive traits and/or solve challenges
- Share a book with a family or staff member to help them gain more understanding about your child
To begin, click on the grade level band for your classroom/child/group and then pick a category: Family Focus, Peers/Friendship, Inclusion/Diversity, or For Individuals with Autism. Each entry includes the book title, author, grade levels, summary, themes/topics, and supplemental resources to use with the book.
Many of these books are available for free from the OCALI Lending Library for any person over the age of 18 residing or working in the state of Ohio.
Click here to provide us feedback on how you have used this resource in your practice and/or personal life.
Note: Although the diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome was removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition (DSM-5) in 2013, some individuals who were previously identified with that diagnosis still use it. There is valuable information related to autism in the books about Asperger Syndrome.
Note: These books are provided for reference and convenience only. They do not constitute an endorsement or an approval. The list is ongoing and additional book resources may be added. Recommendations for books to be considered can be emailed to julie_short@ocali.org