21. The Socially Included Child
Cover image courtesy of Penguin
Successful playdates? Family events? Those simple everyday things can seem like impossible dreams when your child has autism, or really any disability that complicates social interaction. Knowing how helpful it is for kids to have things broken down into small manageable steps, author LeComer gives some good examples of step by step socialization -- and breaks things down nicely for parents, too, who can use all the help they can get. 4 Stars
22. Thinking Person's Guide to Autism
Cover image courtesy of Shannon Des Roches Rosa
Designed as an advice-alternative for parents starting out on their autism journey, this guide offers practical tips and an overall message of acceptance and possibility. Rather than one single authority leading you through, it uses essays by parents, professionals, and autistic adults to give a varied, experienced, and long-range view. 4 Stars
23. Unstrange Minds
Cover image courtesy of Perseus Books
It's overstating the case to say that this genuinely interesting book shows anything definitive about the autism "epidemic." But it does suggest, with largely anecdotal evidence, that cultural perceptions and parent advocacy may have more to do with autism's rise than vaccines or other environmental culprits. It's an interesting premise, though some may find it treasonous. 4 Stars
24. What Did You Say? What Do You Mean?
Cover image courtesy of Jessica Kingsley Publishers
A guide to understanding metaphors might be the sort of thing you'd expect to find in a high school English class, not a special-needs parenting bookshelf. But this cleverly illustrated book was instead designed to help children with Asperger syndrome decipher expressions that don't mean what they say. In fact, any literal-thinking child can benefit from this cheerful resource. 4 Stars
25. Alex the Boy
Cover image courtesy of Jeff Stimpson
The family story that started in Alex: The Fathering of a Preemie continues here in a collection of essays tracing Alex's growing up from 2003 to 2008. With an autism diagnosis as well as some leftover health effects from his prematurity, Alex gives his parents lots to deal with, but the essays are mostly more light-hearted than gut-wrenching. Chances are, you'll relate. 3.5 Stars
26. At Home in the Land of Oz
Photo courtesy of Jessica Kinglsey Publishers
The author tells of her years growing up with her younger sister, who was diagnosed back in the '60s with "emotional disturbance" and sent to a couple of daunting institutions for treatment and training, but in recent years was given the diagnosis of autism. It's an interesting account of how such problems were dealt with in earlier years, her parents' desperate attempts to help, and her own experience as the "normal one" in the family. 3.5 Stars
27. Autism and Its Medical Management
Cover image courtesy of Jessica Kingsley Publishers
The idea of treating autism as a medical problem with a biological cause and solution, rather than a disorder diagnosed by observation and opinion, is an attractive one. Dr. Michael G. Chez, a neurologist specializing in seizure disorders, has some interesting research to share, and holds out the promise that science will find definitive, tested, mainstream answers to the unique puzzles of autism in specific individuals. Unfortunately, in the meantime, medical management still involves a frustrating amount of guesswork. 3.5 Stars
28. Disconnected Kids
Cover image courtesy of Perigee
Would you have thought we needed another neurological diagnosis, one even broader than the autism spectrum? Disconnected Kids proposes Functional Disconnection Syndrome, which besides autism covers ADHD, dyslexia, ODD, and more. The book offers a detailed plan for remedying the condition, and though you may not get the big results promised, it probably won't hurt. 3.5 Stars
29. Hope for the Autism Spectrum
Cover image courtesy of Jessica Kingsley Publishers
For those who are curious about or committed to biomedical interventions for kids on the autism spectrum, this book will serve as a sympathetic, accessible guide to the research behind it, the rationales for it, and the routines parents must adapt to make it work. Some parents will be empowered by the ability to take their children's health into their own hands -- but readers with other theories about autism may be horrified instead. 3.5 Stars
30. Miracle Run
Cover image courtesy of Berkley Books
If you saw the Lifetime TV movie of the same name from a few years back, starring a pre-High School Musical Zac Efron as an autistic runner and Mary-Louise Parker as his mom, you know the basic outlines of the story told in this book. As is usually the case with real life, though, the full story is more complex and messy than the made-for-TV version. You'll find plenty of inspiration in it all the same, though, and maybe all the more. 3.5 Stars
