When you have a child who has been diagnosed with autism and ADHD, where do you begin and continue to better understand them? I go to the experts who have written books that will help educate other parents and me. Here are 10 great books I’ve read over the years that I recommend every parent of a child with autism and ADHD should read.
The Social Story Book
When my son J was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at age 4, the school psychologist suggested that I read The New Social Story Book, Revised and Expanded 15th Anniversary Edition (affiliate link). I’m so glad she did! I had never heard of social stories before, and I kept coming back to this book over and over to find stories that would help J prepare or better manage a social situation. This is definitely one of the autism and ADHD books that I recommend parents keep on their shelves over the years to refer to when needed. You will be happy that you did.
Out-of-Sync Child
This was another one recommended to me by the psychologist who diagnosed my son J. He had ultra hearing and some other sensory issues, and I found The Out-of-Sync Child, Third Edition: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Differences (affiliate link) so helpful in better understanding sensory difficulties. The author gives some wonderful practical and applicable guidance on how to help your child.
1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism or Asperger’s
I came across 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism or Asperger’s (affiliate link) in a bookstore when my son J was still young, and I’m so glad I decided to read this book. It is full of wonderful ideas and practical suggestions for parents of an autistic child. I referred back to it and used it a lot for many years to help me with J.
The Autistic Brain: Helping Different Kinds of Minds Succeed
I love reading and watching anything from Dr. Temple Grandin (who has autism herself), but the book The Autistic Brain: Helping Different Kinds of Minds Succeed (affiliate link) is especially informative as your autistic child nears the teen and young adult years. She talks about the history of autism and how autistic brains think visually and differently. Dr. Grandin also includes a lot of information about careers and employment in the book, which is helpful for parents of autistic teens and young adults.
Taking Charge of ADHD
Dr. Russell Barkley is one of the leading experts on ADHD, and I found his book Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents (affiliate link) especially helpful for better understanding ADHD and how to help my son J. He provides so much good advice about behavior management, partnership with your child’s school and so much more.
Uniquely Human
I am about halfway done with Uniquely Human: Updated and Expanded: A Different Way of Seeing Autism (affiliate link) and finding it so helpful. Dr. Barry Prizant shows how autism is a unique way of being human and how many “autistic” behaviors are really behaviors that neurotypicals have too but at a different intensity level. I have enjoyed reading about his own experiences in working with so many autistic children throughout his career and have been able to relate those experiences to similar ones that my son has had. I plan to do a full review of this book once I’m done reading it.
The Explosive Child
I found the learning and strategies from Dr. Ross Greene in The Explosive Child (affiliate link) incredibly practical for the challenging behavior from my son J and his younger brother. It’s a more collaborative way of working with your child to reduce those behaviors and to learn why your child is behaving that way. You can read my full book review of this book in this blog post.
The Upside of Stress
As a parent of an autistic/ADHD child, you probably have quite a bit of stress in your life. However, stress doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It’s how you respond to stress that can cause negative effects. Dr. Kelly McGonigal challenges us to look at the positive side of it in The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It (affiliate link). You can read my full review of this book in this blog post.
Smart but Scattered
Our kids with autism and ADHD have a double whammy when it comes to impairment of their executive function skills. I loved Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary “Executive Skills” Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential (affiliate link) because it gave me not only a very good overview of executive function skills but so much practical advice on how to help my child. The authors even provided a quiz for me to take to better understand my own executive function skills strengths and weaknesses and educated me on those that could help or hinder my ability to help my son. You can read my full review of this book in this blog post.
The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome
When my son J was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (now part of the autism spectrum disorder diagnosis criteria), the psychologist recommended books by Dr. Tony Atwood. I thought The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder) (affiliate link) was the best one and most helpful. It gave me such a great understanding of Asperger’s Syndrome, characteristics, behaviors and practical advice on how to help my son. I know people don’t like to use the high-functioning label, but if your child is less profound on the spectrum, this would be a good book to read.
