There's a Book for That: Autism Acceptance Month
Did you know that April is Autism Acceptance Month? “Autism Acceptance Month celebrates and honors the experiences and identities of Autistic individuals. It emphasizes understanding, inclusion, and support, moving beyond awareness towards meaningful acceptance,” according to the Autism Society of America, whose motto this month is “#CelebrateDifferences.” At Penguin Random House we publish the following excellent books, for children and adults, that help readers do just that and see individuals, not diagnoses:
Most masked Autistics have spent a lifetime being told how to perform neurotypically: how to behave, how to carry themselves, what to feel, and how to live. With his previous book, Unmasking Autism, Dr. Devon Price has given them the space and tools to unmask and embrace their neurodiversity. But no matter where you are in the unmasking process, there is still work to be done.
Unmasking for Life provides the resources to help you advocate for your needs and invent new ways of living, loving, and being that work with your disability rather than against it.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is something that affects kids and families all over the world. This book can kickstart the journey to a better understanding of autism and those who live with it. It dives into what it’s like to live with autism while reminding us that at the core, we’re not that different from one another after all.
Neurodiversity is one of the most urgent political issues of our time. As the number of diagnoses of autism, ADHD, and other types of neurodivergence rises, we are starting to understand that there is no such thing as a ‘normal’ brain. But society is still organized around neuro-normativity, and autism is treated as a disease. Jodie Hare, diagnosed with autism at twenty-three, argues it is time to redefine the politics of who we are. She calls for the recognition of diversity as part of natural variation, rather than a departure from sameness. Hare shows how we might commit to building a world where we can all thrive, one that works to combat discrimination based on race, class, gender, and disability.
Disconnected Kids is a comprehensive at-home guide to the Brain Balance program, which involves no medication or medical interventions but focuses instead on movement and sensory exercises that stimulate proper brain development. This updated and revised edition also features new exercises and the latest research findings on how the retention of primitive reflexes—the involuntary movements babies are born with that typically are replaced with intentional movements by their first birthday—plays an integral role in the development of neurological issues. Through the exercises in this book, these reflexes can be diminished, making brain balance easier to attain.
Pediatric neurologist Dr. Suzanne Goh has spent decades working with autistic children, and in this practical and research-based guide she shares her renowned and revolutionary model of care: an innovative, whole-child approach that combines optimal medical treatment with the most effective strategies for advancing cognition, communication, and behavior.
This collection features 25 inspiring tales of neurodivergent artists, athletes, innovators, and more. Read about how these women and girls thought creatively, achieved their dreams, and advocated for the rights of neurodivergent people everywhere.
After reading about autism in her teens, Scottish comedian Fern Brady knew instinctively that she had it—autism explained her sensory issues, her meltdowns, her inability to pick up on social cues—and she told her doctor as much. But it took until she was thirty-four for her to get diagnosed…A memoir as hilarious as it is heartbreaking, Strong Female Character is both a remarkable coming-of-age tale and a dark but poignant tribute to life at the intersection of womanhood and neurodiversity.
An ethnographic study of diverse children on the autism spectrum and the role of media and technology in their everyday lives. With an emphasis on what autistic children bring to media as opposed to what they supposedly lack socially, …Alper offers practical suggestions for the education, healthcare, and technology sectors to promote equity, inclusion, access, and justice for autistic kids at home, at school, and in their communities.
Harrowing and hilarious, Ten Steps to Nanette traces Gadsby’s growth as a queer person, their ever-evolving relationship with comedy, and their struggle with late-in-life diagnoses of autism and ADHD, finally arriving at the backbone of Nanette: the renouncement of self-deprecation, the rejection of misogyny, and the moral significance of truth-telling.
A landmark book that reveals, celebrates, and advocates for the special minds and contributions of visual thinkers. A quarter of a century after her memoir, Thinking in Pictures, forever changed how the world understood autism, Temple Grandin transforms our awareness of the different ways our brains are wired.
A deep dive into the spectrum of Autistic experience and the phenomenon of masked Autism, giving individuals the tools to safely uncover their true selves while broadening society’s narrow understanding of neurodiversity. It’s time to honor the needs, diversity, and unique strengths of Autistic people so that they no longer have to mask—and it’s time for greater public acceptance and accommodation of difference. In embracing neurodiversity, we can all reap the rewards of nonconformity and learn to live authentically, Autistic and neurotypical people alike.
ThisNew York Times–bestselling book upends conventional thinking about autism and suggests a broader model for acceptance, understanding, and full participation in society for people who think differently. NeuroTribes considers the idea that neurological differences such as autism, dyslexia, and ADHD are not errors of nature or products of the toxic modern world, but the result of natural variations in the human genome. This groundbreaking book will reshape our understanding of the history, meaning, function, and implications of neurodiversity in our world.
For more information on these and related titles, visit Autism Acceptance Month 2025
For more information on autism and autistic people, check out these organizations:
Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN)
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