Raising a child with autism can be an incredibly challenging experience for parents. It is important to arm yourself with the knowledge and resources necessary to best support your child’s needs.

Books are one of the most powerful tools available to help you learn more about autism, its diagnosis, treatments, and strategies for helping children succeed in life.

In this guide, we’ve ranked our 10 favorite Books on Autism for Parents, so that you can get a better understanding of autism and how to best support your child.

Books for Parents on Autism Spectrum Disorder

The Reason I Jump – Naoki Higashida

This is an autobiographical book written by a 13-year old Japanese boy who tells the readers what exactly it is like to live an autistic life.

Through this book, an extremely charming, self-aware, and smart boy tells the readers how the mind of an autistic child thinks, perceives, feels, and responds to situations and circumstances that none of us can ever imagine.

With the help of an alphabet grid, the boy painstakingly tries to construct meaningful words and sentences, which he could not speak out loudly. And through this struggle Naoki effortlessly answers the most delicate questions related to autism such as why children diagnosed with autism talk loudly, why do they not establish any eye contact while talking, or why do they line up their toys, cars, dolls, etc?

In fact, the title of the book, “The Reason I Jump”, comes from Naoki’s own feelings of “going upward to the sky” – when he jumps. With a generous heart and utmost honesty, a 13-year old young boy shares his unique take on life and autism.

If you are a parent who wants a close look into the curious, complex, and subtle brain of your autistic child, then this book will provide you with a crystal clear picture.

The Autistic Brain – Temple Grandin

This is a book that gives you cutting-edge information on the latest scientific discoveries in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Through this book, the author brings the science of autism to the forefront of discussion. In fact, through her own experiences and thrilling journey, the author not just provides the readers with groundbreaking research, causes of autism, symptoms, treatment, and cure but also, takes you to the heart of the autism revolution.

Here the author shows utmost transparency and honesty by sharing her own brain scan images to show the readers the common anomalies in the brain that give rise to the most common symptoms of autism. As readers, we are not just restricted to neuroimaging advances and genetic discoveries, but we are also given access to some of the brilliant scientists and advocates who are constantly exploring the innovative theories behind the root of autism and how it can be diagnosed and treated.

By discarding umbrella diagnoses for autism, the author argues how we can solve sensory problems and bring a transformative effect into a child’s brain if we try to treat autism symptom by symptom. By reading this book you can learn as a parent how you should foster your child’s unique contributions instead of constantly focusing on their weaknesses.

The Complete Autism Handbook – Benison O’Reilly and Kathryn Wicks – written for Australians

This is a comprehensive book packed with practical knowledge and information on how to raise a child who is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This book can actually act as a handy go-to guide for parents who want to know every aspect of raising a kid with love, care, and attention.

In fact, when this book was first published in 2008, it quickly became a bestseller due to the parents’ trustworthiness of the information and also due to the high recommendations of pediatricians. From the very basics of what is Autism Spectrum Disorder, its symptoms, early detection and intervention to getting a diagnosis, receiving proper treatment, understanding the problem, and the complexity of the medical maze – this book covers every topic in great detail. This is the primary reason why this book is so popular as a guidebook among parents.

 In addition to all this valuable information, the book offers a comprehensive list of Federal & State Support numbers including a list of websites, books, and resource guides from where you can unlock the treasure trove of information on Autism. It also has the latest and updated information on HCWA (Helping Children With Autism) and the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) funding, which is quite helpful to a parent of an autistic child.

Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism – Barry M. Prizant

The author of this book is a leading expert on the subject of autism, worldwide. This is more than enough reason for every parent, therapist, teacher, and caregiver to read this groundbreaking book.

The essence of this book lies in the perspective of the author on autism. Throughout his life, the author has been of the opinion that autism is not at all a tragic disability but it’s a unique way of being human. This is the core message that the author gives to the readers through his writings.

With more than 40 years of experience in the field, the author vehemently and scientifically argues that instead of looking at autism as an umbrella list of deficits in terms of communicative skills, social skills, cognitive abilities, problem-solving, and sensory responses, we need to understand autism from the individual’s experiences, which underlies their behavioral patterns.

So, we do not need to get worked up for eliminating the autistic symptoms but we need to understand the individual experiences that define the repetitive behaviors. The author argues that therapists, parents, and caregivers need to stop classifying autistic behavior as signs of pathology but instead look at them as the child’s own strategy to cope with the outside world that seems so odd, chaotic, and overwhelming to them. Filled with inspiring stories of humanity and wisdom, this book is a must-read for all parents.

The Explosive Child – Ross W. Greene

This is a book that is specifically written to help parents out in dealing with a child, who is inflexible, irritable, and highly prone to anger outbursts.

The author of this book brings to the readers a new perspective on parenting strategies. He particularly talks about why traditional; parenting strategies like the reward-punishment mechanism bear little result in the case of these children who are unique and different from others. Instead of looking at these expressions of emotions as some anomaly, the author categorically outlines parenting strategies that would permanently solve these recurring problems.

In addition to these tidbits of wisdom, the author provides the parents with strategies that will help them teach their children the important skills of self-regulation. Another interesting approach that the author puts forward to the readers is that these anger outbursts could be controlled through emotional regulation only if we stop looking at these expressions as some sort of character flaw or failure on the part of the parents.

After reading this book as a parent, you will develop a kind of emotional empathy towards your children which in turn will help your children to cope with their complex emotions. 

The Out of Sync Child

Sensory Processing Disorder or SPD is a problem that is faced by many children with autism. On the topic of SPD, this is a groundbreaking book as it not just explains the nitty-gritty of the problem but also presents a completely drug-free approach to the problem. This makes the book a must-read for parents of children with autism as more than information, this book gives them a new ray of hope.

When it comes to Sensory Processing Disorder, some of the most common problems include – under-responsivity or over-responsivity to touch, movement, smell, taste, and sounds, cravings for sensation, poor sensory discrimination, unusually low or high levels of activity, and problems with body posture and motor coordination.

If as a parent you are familiar with these problems of your child, you also know that under these circumstances an autism research center will only offer therapy along with medicines for all these problems. In this book, the author focuses strictly on the misconceptions about the condition and the misdiagnosed problem that this SPD is.  

You will never come across any over-complicated terms, scientific jargon on genetic research and autism but will only get some simple charts, checklists, and easy-to-use formats to address, tackle, and solve the dysfunctional problems of sensory integration.

Along with exercises and activities, you will get a guidebook on how to deal with sensory issues and as parents of children with autism, you will feel almost blessed when you will see how the sensory integration activities are proving to be extremely beneficial for your loved ones.

Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew

Through this book, the author simply provides the parents of children who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, a broad overview of the symptoms that are related to the health condition. In doing so, the author fulfills one simple yet complex conundrum of the autism field – how to best understand an autistic mind.

We all know that autism is a complex disorder and although the four common symptoms of autism include sensory challenges, communication impairments, elusive social skills, and self-esteem issues, every child who is diagnosed with autism experiences symptoms and behavioral patterns that are different from another child.

This is the primary reason why autism therapy typically focuses on the symptoms of the condition rather than the root cause of the problem because in each case the symptoms are uniquely different. Respecting this uniquely human characteristic of autism, the author argues that broadly there are 10 things that every young child wishes their parents knew in dealing or communicating with them.

Given the fact that typically no two children will exhibit similar symptoms of autism as they are always at different points on the autism spectrum, it is paramount for parents to understand the most basic elements of the problems of an autistic mind. When the parents will understand from in-and-out the simple pain-points of this complex disorder, they can positively impact their children’s ability to lead an independent and more productive life. 

A parent’s Guide to High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: How to Meet the Challenges and Help Your Child Thrive

This is a book that does not just contain valuable information on raising children with autism but also consists of real-life stories, day-to-day problem-solving ideas, a great index of other books, resources, materials, websites, and newsletters all directed towards helping parents in learning about ‘High-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder’, including that of the Asperger Syndrome.

The author of this book is a leading researcher and a clinical private practitioner of early assessment and diagnosis of ASD. Therefore, even if you are someone who is not a parent but deals with young adults or people with autism, this book will help you understand the complexities of the autism disorder as it is meant to be understood.

The book is divided into two parts: the first part deals with the explanation of autism, the causes of it, the notable symptoms, early intervention, and diagnosis, along with the latest available treatments; the second part provides you with practical strategies and actionable advice on how you can focus on what your child can do instead of focusing on what they cannot.

 In doing so, you will not just be able to teach children but also, learn by yourself how you can channel your child’s inner strengths and potential through proven techniques and tactics, both inside and outside your home.

So, it’s imperative that you read this book as parents of children with autism as it will help you grasp the core understanding of how you can assist your beloved child in the journey of life.

An Early Start for Your Child with Autism

The authors of this book are not just pioneers in autism research but also, they are eminent personalities in the field of autism spectrum disorder. The authors have worked closely with families who have autistic children and have provided comprehensive research papers on early intervention for preschoolers, family interventions, autism in infancy, and imitation deficits.

So, with this book on your side, you will have an up-close-and-personal view of an autistic mind, the challenges that are faced by an autistic person, and the practical strategies that one can use for overcoming autism and other sensory challenges.

Through this book, the authors have presented cutting-edge research papers for parents to help them in raising their children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. In fact, this book provides you with simple, doable, practical strategies that you can put to use for everyday chores as early intervention programs.

All the information presented in this book is derived by the authors through groundbreaking research on autism spectrum disorders and therefore, they provide clear examples of how you can incorporate different techniques, games, engagement tactics, and linguistic skills into the daily routine of fun-and reward mechanism for your autistic child.

So, get this book to simply understand how your child has an amazing capacity to learn and live up to their own potential!

The Autism Mom’s Survival Guide (for Dads, too!): Creating a Balanced and Happy Life While Raising a Child with Autism

When you read this book, you will see that the simple objective of the author is to help and encourage parents to find happiness and fulfillment amidst all the struggles of raising autistic children. This is why we recommend this book as an all-inclusive guidebook on how you can make your regular happy when you have to deal with the mental health issues of an autistic brain.

Raising a child who is faced with sensory challenges and has difficulties interacting socially not only needs love, care, and attention on the parents’ part but also, needs effective learning techniques and tools that will help them in overcoming autism. This book addresses all the issues of autism spectrum disorder and more than telling the parents what to teach their children, it acts as an awesome guide to the parents on how they can balance everything and lead a happy and fulfilling life.

 In this book, the author brilliantly encapsulates every voice in the field of autism research and genetic research and brings them together with the practical experiences of researchers, professionals, and parents of autistic children to give you simple guidance on how you can make your child happy (which is the goal of every parent) and balance your day-to-day life in the middle of all the struggles.

Through various topics such as “finding fun even during turbulent times, how to handle feelings of despair and hopelessness, finding a balance between accepting your child as he or she is and seeking new treatments, and caring for your marriage” – you will surely learn to make your everyday happy!

Conclusion

Raising a child with autism could be extremely overwhelming if as parents you yourself do not have a clear understanding of the condition. Until and unless you understand the daily challenges that this disorder presents, you will have no idea how you can help your child overcome these challenges.

This is why reading books on autism is important as it will guide you on the disorder as well as on your child’s development. When you read a well-written book, you recognize the problem, realize the care that you need to give, and learn about the tools and strategies which you can use to help your child live a normal yet unique life.

So, go through the list of the best books on autism, provided in this article. After you read each one of them, you will be educated enough as parents of children with autism, which will, in turn, help your child in overcoming their personal problems as you will be more empathetic and understandable to all of those challenges.