20 recommended books on Autism

Several books to learn about Autism Spectrum Disorders through fiction and non-fiction.

Although sensitivity and acceptance towards people with autism spectrum disorders has been increasing, there are many myths, stereotypes, prejudices and fears in the general population about people with autism.

Many researchers, psychologists, pedagogues, family members and, especially, people with ASD have helped to make this type of disorders better known through scientific dissemination works and testimonies about the day-to-day life of autistic people.

Here are some books about autism. we will know several books about autismThe aim of these books is to help those affected, their families and therapists to understand what is this disorder.

20 recommended books on Autism to learn about ASD.

There are many stereotypes, myths and false beliefs that are held about autism spectrum disorders (ASD).the most widespread being that they cannot improve or that they are all the same. However, autistic people, whether children or adults, are very diverse individuals, with a multitude of hobbies and different interests and, of course, with pictures of different severity, for this reason we speak of autism spectrum disorders. These are 20 works not to be missed if we want to know more about autism.

A Different Mind: Understanding Children with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome, by Peter Szatmari (2004)

In this book, Peter Szatmari presents the idea that before trying to understand how people with autism think or feel, it is necessary to know why they don't like to be touched or don't seem to show any kind of emotion.. En clave de manual tries to answer these questions, helping to build a solid foundation for families and teachers. It presents real cases with which the author, a Canadian researcher specialized in this disorder, has been working for years.

• You can buy it on this page.

2. The Curious Incident of the Dog at Midnight, by Mark Haddon (2004)

Although this novel is relatively young, we can already consider it a classic in the works that try to make ASD visible, specifically what is sometimes referred to as "the curious incident of the dog at midnight", by Mark Haddon (2004).specifically what is sometimes called Asperger's syndrome. Mark Haddon introduces us to Christopher, a 15-year-old boy with Asperger's who, one day, finds his neighbor's dog dead. With the same spirit of Sherlock Holmes, the young man will try to solve this curious incident facing a hostile and unknown world, difficult for any person with autism.

• If you are interested, click here for more information about the book.

3. Born on a Blue Day, by Daniel Tammet (2006)

The author Daniel Tammet is a person with ASD but with an uncommon condition, since he also has what is known as the he also has what is known as Savant's syndrome or Genius Syndrome.. He is an atypical autistic with abilities and skills well above normal, and therefore should be taken into account and not think that all autistic people are super geniuses. Even so, the book is very interesting to learn about his case and to understand behaviors typical of any autistic person, whether or not he has above-average abilities, as well as to learn about savantism.

• To learn more about this work, access this page.

4. The Reason I Jump, by Naoki Higashida (2007)

Naoki Higashida is autistic but, unlike Daniel Tammet, has high support needs and communicates, with great effort, through written text.. With a simple and direct language Higashida formulates and answers 53 questions covering topics and stereotypes about people with autism, as well as exposing some particular behaviors and manias. Among them is the one that gives its name to the title of the book, "Why do I jump?".

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5. María y yo, by Miguel Gallardo and María Gallardo (2007)

Miguel Gallardo presents us with his colorful comic book about his daughter María, 12 years old, who has the disorder.who has the disorder. In "María y yo" he conveys the importance of using clear and simple images to establish communicative dynamics with people on the spectrum. The comic recreates a vacation in which the family, as with any other family with a child with autism, has to face obstacles.

• To learn more about the book, click here.

6. Lorenzo's dipper, by Isabelle Carrier (2010)

Lorenzo, the main character of this book, is dragging a dipper and does not know how to get rid of it.. It hinders him a lot: he has a lot of incidents, he gets stuck, he can neither move forward nor run. The dipper is a metaphor that reflects the sad daily reality of children with autism conditioned by the multiple difficulties of their environment, which they do not know how to cope with. The book shows how Lorenzo, without getting rid of the dipper, manages to cope with adversities.

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7. CuentAutismo, by Rubén Serrano (2010)

"CuentaAutismo" by Rubén Serrano is an analogy of 19 stories an analogy of 19 stories through which stories are presented that teach us to accept diversity. We often limit ourselves to defining autistic children based on their label, leaving aside the fact that they are still children who want to have friends, have fun, laugh and play like everyone else. It is true that their way of being is a bit special, but we should not deny them their right to childhood and to be happy.

• To learn more about this play, go to this page.

8. The Autistic Brain, by Temple Grandin (2013)

The author of this book, Temple Grandin, is known for being one of the first people with autism to give her own voice to her own way of being, describing it in this work in her own words.describing it in this work in the first person. She is currently a professor of Animal Behavior at Colorado State University and is probably the best known non-fictional autistic person, especially for her informative work. This book is dense so it is not recommended as a first approach to ASD although it is ideal to understand its neurological basis.

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9. The Spark, by Kristine Barnett (2013)

Kristine Barnett, the author of "La Chispa" (The Spark) tells us about her son Jacob, who has severe autism.. Despite this condition the little boy is progressively becoming a genius in astrophysics. Kristine's real struggle is not against her son's intellectual disability, but in favor of listening and discovering what motivates and what each of the people with autism are good at, trying to fan that flame or spark to make them thrive in life, being unique.

• To learn more about the book, click here.

10. Maria turns 20, by Miguel Gallardo and María Gallardo (2015).

Seven years after publishing "Maria and I" Miguel Gallardo publishes the sequel. In "Maria turns 20" she shows us her daughter's life as a 20-year-old and how she relates to the world as an adult. how she relates to the world as an adult.. She explains what's new in her life and what things are still the same as they were in her adolescence.

• Click here to read more about this book.

11. M for Autism, by Limpsfield Grange School and Vicky Martin (2016).

The protagonist of this story is named M, a teenage girl who makes us understand the important role that anxiety plays in people with ASD.. It is through her fears, her dreams and goals M brings us closer to her way of thinking and feeling, and teaches us what helps her and what doesn't. This book written by students from Limpsfield Grange School in collaboration with Vicky Martin gives visibility to the work of professionals, especially psychologists, as well as peers and family members of people with ASD.

• For more information about the work, click here.

12. Lucas has superpowers, by Ana Luengo (2016)

In "Lucas tiene superpoderes" we are told what an afternoon in Lucas' life is like.. Unlike what it would be for the rest of people, Lucas has to make a great effort, but it also tells us how, from where you look at it, what is a strange behavior for some can be a great ability for others. Through the reflections of another child, the book shows us that it is the value of the judgment itself that determines whether something is right or wrong, not the way of being or how each person is.

• To learn more about this book, go to this page.

13. El niño al que se le olvidó cómo mirar, by Juan Martos and María Llorente (2017).

Written by psychologists from the DELETREA team, "El niño al que se le olvidó cómo mirar" offers a global but profound vision of autism. Although it is suitable for families and professionals, it must be said that it language and is especially oriented to psychologists and specialists in the disorder. and specialists in the disorder. At the end of each chapter, it offers important clues about what is read in the chapter, making the reading quite pleasant and productive.

• If you are interested in more details, click on this link.

14. Autism, current explanatory theories, by Rubén Palomo (2017).

This book is of a more investigative nature, ideal to know the path of research on autism from the most classical models to the most current ones.. It has a format of a scientific article, so it is not exactly the most ideal if you want to have a general idea about what the disorder is, but it does allow you to study the subject thoroughly.

• Click here to read more about this book.

15. Having a child with autism, by Melisa Tuya (2017)

In this book Melisa explains us her particular vision of her son Jaime's disorder, exposing her own experience.. Full of experiences and reflections on what it means to be a student with autism, the aim of this book is to approach families and teachers in a direct way. It describes the path that Melisa followed with her son, from the diagnosis, the progression of the disorder, the myths that surround it and the vision of other people who also live with it.

• Do you want to know more? Go to this page.

16. The boy who wanted to build his world, by Keith Stuart (2017).

This story tells us about the life of its author, Keith Stuart, a 30-year-old man who sees that his life is falling apart and, to top it all, he discovers that his son Sam has autism, discovers that his son Sam has autism. After several disappointments and overwhelmed by how his life was going, one day Keith unknowingly says the magic words that would allow him to get closer to his son: "Sam, let's play Minecraft". The message of the book is that we must engage with the interests and hobbies of children with ASD in order to communicate with them.

• To learn more about this book, go to this page.

17. The man who collected coins with his mouth, by J. Francisco Guerrero López and Ana Paula Zaragoza Moyano (2017).

The authors of this book are doctors in pedagogy who explain autism in two perspectives.. First, they focus on showing cases of autism, both real and fictitious, to exemplify what this disorder is. The book includes figures related to ASD research, such as Hans Asperger or Lorna Wing, and movie characters such as Raymond Babbitt (from Rain Man). In the second part, the author Ana explains her observations of an autistic child placed in a classroom with children without the disorder.

• More information is available on this page.

18. Development of conceptual categories in students with autism spectrum disorders, by Manuel Ojea Rúa (2018).

In the RELATEA program, a project is carried out with the objective of facilitate the creation of relationships during perceptual-cognitive development in students with the disorder.. This manual exposes this program, which offers content and activities with content from various subjects. It is intended for students with autism to learn by developing semantic memory, grouping content into different categories of concepts or relating them into new categories, among other skills.

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19. Unique Human Beings: A Different Way of Looking at Autism, by Barry M. Prizant (2018)

With Unique Human Beings Barry M. Prizant presents us with various testimonies, examples and experiences that allow us to approach different profiles of autism through the protagonism of people with ASD and their families. Presenting it more as a way of being than as a terrible pathology, Prizant presents a pleasant reading in which values such as understanding, respect and the desire to help people with this pathology emerge.

• If you are interested in more details, click on this link.

20. Bet and ASD, by Anna Gusó and Joana Bruna (2019)

In a very brief and simple way, in "Bet and ASD", we are introduced to Bet we are introduced to Bet, who teaches us very accurate guidelines on how adults should behave towards people with autism.. This book is ideal to have a first approach to the subject, besides it is easy to read for the little ones of the house, with many and colorful images.

• To learn more about this work, access this page.

Bibliographical references:

• Grandin, T. & Panek, R. (2014). The autistic brain : the power of a different mind. Barcelona: RBA Libros.
• De Ajuriaguerra, J (1973). Manual de Psiquiatría Infantil, Editorial Masson, Barcelona, 4th edition.
• Hobson, P. (1995) Autismo y desarrollo de la mente, Madrid, Editorial Alianza.
• Lozano, J. (2000). El diagnóstico de autismo, Revista cubana de pediatría.
• Klin, A., Volkmar, F., Lord, C., Cook, E. (2002) Autism and the Pervasive Developmental Disorders.
• Ozonoff, S., Dawson, G., McPartland, J (2002). A Parent's Guide to Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism. The Guilford Press. New York.