Neurodiversity at the Library: Adult and Parenting Books

A quarter of a century after her first book, Thinking in Pictures, forever changed how the world understood autism, Temple Grandin-the "anthropologist from Mars," as Oliver Sacks dubbed her-transforms our understanding of the different ways our brains are wired. Visual thinkers constitute a far greater proportion of the population than previously understood, she reveals, and a more varied one, from the purest "object visualizers" like Grandin herself, with their intuitive knack for engineering and problem-solving, to "visual spatials"-the abstract, mathematical thinkers who excel in pattern recognition and systemic thinking. With her genius for demystifying science, Grandin draws on cutting-edge research to take us inside visual thinking and its intuitive affinities for design, innovation, and problem-solving. She also makes us aware of how a world geared to the highly verbal screens out visual thinkers from an early age. Rather than continuing to waste their singular gifts, driving a collective loss in productivity and competitiveness, Grandin proposes new approaches to educating, parenting, employing, and collaborating with visual thinkers. In a highly competitive world, this important book helps us to see, we need every mind on board.

Dating is hard-but when you live with anxiety, OCD, and/or depression, dating can feel like a minefield. At last, a book that focuses solely on mental health and dating-an intersection that demands attention, given that one in five Americans will experience a mental illness in a given year. Overthinking About You is a memoir-driven self-help book that explores the complex connection between brain and heart, for an engaging, useful, and relatable read for anyone whose mental health has gotten in the way of successful romantic relationships.

A special-education teacher with thirty years of experience working with autistic people gives readers a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the neurodiverse community and looks at ways we can develop more meaningful connections with others.

An author and educator's pioneering approach to helping autistic students find their voices through poetry--a powerful and uplifting story that shows us how to better communicate with people on the spectrum and explores how we use language to express our seemingly limitless interior lives.

Professors and husband-and-wife team Uta and Chris Frith have pioneered major studies of brain disorders throughout their nearly fifty-year career. Here, in Two Heads, their distinguished careers serve as a prism through which they share the compelling story of the birth of neuroscience and their paradigm-shifting discoveries across areas as wide-ranging as autism and schizophrenia research, and new frontiers of social cognition including diversity, prejudice, confidence, collaboration, and empathy. Working with their son Alex Frith and artist Daniel Locke, the professors examine the way that neuroscientific research is now focused on the fact we are a social species, whose brains have evolved to work cooperatively. Using an engaging and approachable style, they delve into a wide range of complex concepts and explain them with humor and clarity. You'll discover what happens when people gather in groups, and how people behave when they're in pairs--either pitted against each other or working together. Is it better to surround yourself with people who are similar to yourself, or different? And, are two heads really better than one?

A remarkable and unforgettable memoir from the first man with autism to attend Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship, revealing what life is really like inside a world constructed for neurotypical minds while celebrating the many gifts of being different.

We've known that ADHD affects us throughout our lives, but until now, there's been little to no attention paid to the ADHD-related need of adults over 55. Whether you suspect that you may have ADHD, have recently received a diagnosis, or were diagnosed years ago, Still Distracted After All These Years is a much-needed resource for coping and thriving with ADHD as an older adult.

This book is a message from autistic people to their parents, friends, teachers, coworkers, and doctors showing what life is like on the spectrum. It's also my love letter to autistic people. For too long, we have been forced to navigate a world where all the road signs are written in another language

A remarkable memoir by a mother and her autistic daughter who'd long been unable to communicate—until a miraculous breakthrough revealed a young woman with a rich and creative interior life, a poet, who'd been trapped inside for more than two decades.

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.

A groundbreaking book that upends conventional thinking about autism and suggests a broader model for acceptance, understanding, and full participation in society for people who think differently. What is autism: a devastating developmental disorder, a lifelong disability, or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth, it is all of these things and more--and the future of our society depends on our understanding it. WIRED reporter Steve Silberman unearths the secret history of autism, long suppressed by the same clinicians who became famous for discovering it, and finds surprising answers to the crucial question of why the number of diagnoses has soared in recent years. Going back to the earliest days of autism research and chronicling the brave and lonely journey of autistic people and their families through the decades, Silberman provides long-sought solutions to the autism puzzle, while mapping out a path for our society toward a more humane world in which people with learning differences and those who love them have access to the resources they need to live happier, healthier, more secure, and more meaningful lives.

The creator of the YouTube channel How to ADHD shares the insights and strategies that help her thrive in this accessible and shame-free guide to working with, understanding, and celebrating the ADHD brain

ADHD is one of the most common neurological disorders in the United States--yet a staggering 75 percent of girls and women remain undiagnosed. Due to the gender gap in medical research, which does not account for symptoms manifesting differently in women [and leads] to increased problems with anxiety, depression, working memory, sleep, energy, and concentration. many ADHD women are left to navigate a society that fails to understand their struggles and gifts. But what if every woman had the resources and support to uncover the hidden wonders of her neurodivergent brain?

When Kai was first diagnosed, his father consulted studies and experts. He knew as much about the human brain as almost anyone but still felt as helpless as any parent confronted with this condition in his child. What’s more, the scientific consensus that autism was a deficit of empathy didn’t mesh with Markram’s experience of his son. He became convinced that the disorder, which has seen a 657 percent increase in diagnoses over the past decade, was fundamentally misunderstood. Bringing his world-class research to bear on the problem, he devised a radical new theory of the disorder: People like Kai don’t feel too little; they feel too much.

Hannah Gadsby's unique standup special Nanette was a viral success--and to some, her worldwide fame may have seemed like an overnight sensation. But like everything else about Gadsby, there's more to her success than meets the eye. In her first book, the queer Australian comedian, writer, and actress takes us through the key moments in her life that ultimately led to the creation of Nanette and her startling declaration that she was quitting comedy. She traces her growth as a gay woman from Tasmania--where homosexuality was illegal until 1997--to her ever-evolving relationship with comedy, to her struggle with late-in-life diagnoses of autism and ADHD, and finally to the backbone of Nanette--the renouncement of self-deprecation, the rejection of misogyny, and the moral power of telling the truth.

In anticipation of her 38th birthday, Katherine May set out to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path. She wanted time alone, in nature, to understand why she was having so much trouble coping with everyday life; why motherhood had been so overwhelming and isolating; and why the world felt full of expectations she couldn't meet. She was also reeling from a chance encounter with a voice on the radio that sparked her realization that she might be autistic. And so began a trek along the ruggedly beautiful path by the sea that takes readers through the alternatingly frustrating, funny, and enlightening experience of re-awakening to the world around us. This sees Katherine come to terms with what it would mean to be autistic, leading her to re-evaluate her life so far--with a much kinder, more forgiving eye. We bear witness as she forms a new understanding that finally allows her to be different rather than simply awkward, arrogant, or unfeeling. The physical and psychological journeys of this inspiring book become inextricably entwined, and as Katherine finds her way across the untamable coast, we learn alongside her how to find our way back to our own true selves.

Fearlessly Different is the moving, inspirational memoir of autistic actor Mickey Rowe, who pushed beyond the stereotypes and obstacles so many disabled individuals face to shine on Broadway's biggest stage. Fearlessly Different opens up the world of autism to those who feel locked out and helps those with autism feel seen and understood

A memoir of one woman's search to understand the land she farms-and her own experience with ADHD.

With her popular blog, Finding Cooper's Voice, Kate Swenson has provided hope and comfort for hundreds of thousands of parents of children with Autism. Now, Kate shares her inspiring story in this powerful memoir about motherhood and unconditional love.

The author is autistic, and she is a leading name in the community with a significant media profile (she was the first British autistic woman to address the United Nations on autistic females' rights, and has received an MBE for her work in this area). Carly works directly with families and multidisciplinary teams to support autistic girls who are at risk of dropping out of education. The content of the book will be based on this experience, and address the face that many young/teenage (diagnosed/pre-diagnosis) autistic girls are either in trouble or absent from school, and are ping-ponging between mental health units, CAMHS, home, detention - often vulnerable to men, gangs, depression, self-harm, etc

Parenting Bright Kids Who Struggle in School" guides parents through the challenging and often unfamiliar landscape of raising kids who have been labeled with learning differences, including dyslexia, ADHD, autism, sensory processing disorder, and more.This book builds upon Harvard professor Todd Rose's groundbreaking research in the "Science of Individuality," in which an individual's unique profile of strengths and weaknesses is leveraged in order to help him or her live a fulfilling, successful life. By understanding their child's jagged profile, the context of learning, and multiple pathways, parents will learn revolutionary techniques to encourage their child's strengths and mitigate weaknesses through the strategies presented in "Parenting BrightKids Who Struggle in School." Parents will also discover how to manage the emotional fallout of raising a child who does not conform to the "average" model of learning so prevalent in the modern school system. Drawing from her own experience as a parentof a child with learning differences-who is now a highly successful adult-the author outlines clear lessons from a quarter century of advocating for kids who learn differently.

Provides activities to encourage children with autism with communication, engagement, and play.

A new approach reframing ADD/ADHD as a personality trait that most people have to some degree, featuring cutting-edge research and strategies to help readers thrive, by the internationally bestselling authors of the seminal ADD books Driven to Distraction and Delivered from Distraction World-renowned authors Edward M. Hallowell, M.D. and John J. Ratey, M.D. literally "wrote the book" on ADD/ADHD more than two decades ago. Their bestselling book, Driven to Distraction, largely introduced readers to the behaviors, diagnosis, and treatment of this "disorder" and sold more than a million copies along the way. Now, in ADHD 2.0, they present a revolutionary new idea: What if we viewed impulsivity, distractibility, and hyperactivity as personality traits instead of symptoms? Furthermore, what if we learned to value and harness these traits for the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit they tend to breed?

If your child has a diagnosis of 'on the autism spectrum, ' you may be feeling overwhelmed and most likely intimated. Often the focus is on 'disabilities' rather than 'abilities, ' and you may be left wondering what you should expect as your child journeys through life. With The Conscious Parent's Guide to Autism, you will learn how to take a relationship-centered approach to engage your child. Conscious parenting means being present with your children and taking the time to understand their point of view. Using this mindful method, you can help your child improve language skills, motor skills, and social skills

If Your Adolescent Has ADHD: An Essential Resource for Parents provides the up-to-date information and down-to-earth support that parents need. It offers an in-depth look at causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and parenting strategies.

Based in cutting-edge research in neuroscience, education, and the principles of attachment-based teaching, this important guide for parents offers tools and practices to help children transcend language-based learning difficulties, do better in school,and gain self-confidence and self-esteem. If your child has a language-based learning difficulty--such as dyscalculia, dyslexia, and auditory processing disorder--they may have to work twice as hard to keep up with their peers in school. Your child may also have feelings of frustration, anger, sadness, or shame as a result of their learning differences. As a parent, it hurts to see your child struggle. But the good news is that there are proven-effective strategies you can learn to help your child be their best. This book will show you how.

Social skills training is more than a manual of lessons as specific chapters clearly articulate the critical components of effective skills training including: partnering with clients to establish motivation, identifying relevant skill goals, teaching skills suited to the learners' language functioning, generalizing skills, creating accepting peer environments, and measuring progress. This is ... for teachers, professionals and parents that hope to improve social functioning in their students

What have scientists learned about the causes of autism spectrum disorder? Why do different kids have such different symptoms, and what are the best ways to deal with them? Will there ever be a cure? From leading autism researchers, this accessible guide helps you put the latest advances to work for your unique child. Separating fact from fiction about causes, treatments, and prevention, the book guides you to make lifestyle choices that support the developing brain. From the impact of sleep, exercise, diet, and technology, to which type of professional help might be the right fit, the authors cover it all with expertise and compassion. Learn about the choices you face--and the steps you can take--to build a happier, healthier life for your child and family.

Not telling children about their autism diagnosis can have a significant negative impact on their mental health; by equipping parents with a language of positivity around autism, the book will make a difference to many children on the spectrum. It advises on how and when to talk to autistic children with both high and low care needs, and provides guidance on supporting children's relationships with peers at school, as well as how to broach the conversation with the child's siblings.

Once a diagnosis of autism is made, a myriad of questions arises. Why is this happening? What can I do? How will I cope? What will the future bring? A roadmap is needed, a handbook to refer to when all seems overwhelming. The priorities are to begin the healing process and to start treatment. The way to ensure success is to begin with the end goals in mind. It is remarkable how things fall into place once a vision of the future is formulated - a productive, upstanding, and most important, happy adult!

Autism is sometimes portrayed as a checklist of deficits, including difficulties interacting socially, problems in communicating, sensory challenges, and repetitive behavior patterns. This perspective leads to therapies focused on ridding individuals of autistic symptoms. In Uniquely Human, Dr. Barry M. Prizant suggests a major shift in understanding autism: Instead of classifying "autistic" behaviors as signs of pathology, he sees them as strategies to cope with a world that feels chaotic and overwhelming. Rather than curb these behaviors, it's better to enhance abilities, build on strengths, and offer supports that will naturally lead to more desirable behavior and a better quality of life. In fact, argues Dr. Prizant, attempts to eliminate autistic behaviors may actually interfere with important developmental processes.

A veteran psychologist presents a proven roadmap to help ADHD kids succeed in school and life. You've read all the expert advice, but despite countless efforts to help your child cope better and stay on track, you're still struggling with everyday issues like homework, chores, getting to soccer practice on time, and simply getting along without pushback and power struggles. What if you could work with your child, motivating and engaging them in the process, to create positive change once and for all? In this insightful and practical book, veteran psychologist Sharon Saline shares the words and inner struggles of children and teens living with ADHD--and a blueprint for achieving lasting success by working together.

From his decades of research and work with thousands of families, leading authority Russell A. Barkley knows how overwhelming the everyday challenges of ADHD can be. This unique book guides parents to help their child or teen thrive and keep their loving connection strong, even in hot-button situations. Dr. Barkley presents 12 key parenting principles that address the most common problems that ADHD poses, such as family conflicts, difficult behavior, school problems, out-of-control emotions, and parental stress. He shows how cultivating a mindset of acceptance and compassion--together with an understanding of the executive function deficits of ADHD--gives parents powerful new tools for supporting their child's success. Concise, inspiring, and filled with quick-reference lists and tips, this is the perfect book for parents to read cover to cover or pick up any time they need extra support

Originally published as All about attention deficit disorder in 1996 by ParentMagic, Inc.

Parenting Kids With OCD provides parents with a comprehensive understanding of obsessive-compulsive disorder, its symptoms, types, and presentation in children and teens. The treatment of OCD is explained, and guidelines on how to both find appropriate help and best support one's child are provided.

Using a targeted approach to skill development, Learn to Read for Kids with Dyslexia applies the latest research-based learning methods to games and activities that strengthen auditory discrimination skills, support letter formation in writing, and most importantly—make reading fun. Specifically designed for kids ages 7-12, these engaging activities offer children daily opportunities to practice and hone their reading skills, instead of more homework for your child or student. With icons that designate skill building in phonemic awareness, dysgraphia, and APD for each activity, this workbook allows parents and teachers to focus on strengthening specific areas that will help kids become lifelong readers.

In this crucial guide, parents will find empathy and support as well as evidence-based practical guidance. Of greatest import is the need for tools with which to manage the emotional stress that comes from having a child who deviates fromthe norm, as well as coping with uncertainty and navigating the business of care. Readers will discover ways to optimize the outcomes for their family and make their day-to-day life easier. Advanced Parenting will help families from the beginning of their journey, beginning with recognizing when a child needs help, accepting the implications of a challenge, obtaining a correct diagnosis, learning about the issue, building a treatment team and coming up with a comprehensive plan. Dr. Fradin explores how achild struggling can affect the entire family dynamic including the parent's relationships and the siblings overall well-being, and with her experience as a complex care pediatrician, she will help parents avoid common mistakes. Parents will feel seen, supported, and better prepared to be both a parent and a caregiver

Out on the Yorkshire Moors lives a secret line of people for whom books are food, and who retain all of a book's content after eating it. To them, spy novels are a peppery snack; romance novels are sweet and delicious. Eating a map can help them remember destinations, and children, when they misbehave, are forced to eat dry, musty pages from dictionaries. Devon is part of The Family, an old and reclusive clan of book eaters. Her brothers grow up feasting on stories of valor and adventure, and Devon-like all other book eater women-is raised on a carefully curated diet of fairytales and cautionary stories. But real life doesn't always come with happy endings, as Devon learns when her son is born with a rare and darker kind of hunger-not for books, but for human minds. - Librarian's note: Author Sunyi Dean identifies as autistic.

Lizzie has made endless mistakes. Kitchen fires, pyramid schemes, bangs (of the hair and human variety), you name it, she's done it...and made a mess of it too. One mistake she's never made is letting anyone get closer to her than a single hook-up. But after losing yet another bakery job due to her uncontrolled ADHD, she breaks her cardinal rule and has a two-night-stand that changes everything. Once burned, twice shy, Rake has given up on relationships. And feelings. And any form of intimacy for that matter. Yet something about charming, chaotic Lizzie has him lowering his guard. For two nights, that is. Then it's back home to Australia and far away from the pesky feelings Lizzie pulls from him. But when Lizzie tells him she's got an unexpected bun in the oven, he'll do whatever it takes to be a part of his child's life...except be emotionally vulnerable, obviously. He's never going to make that mistake again.

When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius--his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with an actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse. Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? - Librarian's Note: The author has stated that Alex has undiagnosed ADHD.

Aster lives in the lowdeck slums of the HSS Matilda, a space vessel organized much like the antebellum South. For generations, Matilda has ferried the last of humanity to a mythical Promised Land. On its way, the ship's leaders have imposed harsh moral restrictions and deep indignities on dark-skinned sharecroppers like Aster. Embroiled in a grudge with a brutal overseer, Aster learns there may be a way to improve her lot--if she's willing to sow the seeds of civil war. Librarian's note: Multiple characters in this book are depicted as having autism.

Stella Lane comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases--a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old. It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice--with a professional--which is why she hires Michael Phan. With the looks of a K-drama star and the martial arts moves to match, the Vietnamese-Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer. And when she comes up with a lesson plan, he proves willing to help her check off all the boxes. Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all of the other things he's making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic

The flightiest Brown sister crashes into the life of an uptight B&B owner and has him falling hard--literally. - Librarian's note: the B&B owner is shown as having autism.

Trivia is the magic in the mundane, the connection in the commonplace, and Maxine Hart's second-favorite pastime. A self-proclaimed Brooklyn street rat and a high school dropout, Maxine has never been a fan of formal education, but thanks to her ADHD 'superpowers,' she's a glutton for knowledge--and a good fight. And when Maxine enters the trivia game show Answers!, her brilliance, coupled with her penchant for big bets, devastates her competition. Even record-holding, 76-time-winner Teddy Ferguson. Or was it their kiss the night before they faced off that threw the buttoned-up professor off his game?

Millie is a bit of a mess: she's cynical, disabled, and self-destructive. And she has borderline personality disorder. So she's a little confused as to why she's been recruited for a top-secret agency that oversees deals between Hollywood icons and fairy muses. Even though this hidden, fantasy Hollywood isn't exactly wheelchair-accessible, Millie is determined to ace her first assignment and not let her mental illness get the best of her. But when her first routine mission takes an unexpected and dangerous turn, Millie finds herself hip-deep in some of the scariest situations Fairyland has on offer--and she may not make it out in one piece.