Fans pick 100 books like Autistic Logistics

I was so deeply moved and inspired by reading this book that, even as a young student in college, I almost hoped I would have a child with autism so that I could have the experience of running a Son-Rise Program. I loved how Bears and Samahria charted their own course when there were no mapped parenting paths that appealed to them. I loved their optimism, love, joy, and determination.

They decided not to stop Raun’s repetitive behaviors but used those behaviors as the bridge to connection, whereas the professionals seeing Raun at the time wanted to stop the behaviors so that they could force Raun to connect. The forcing didn’t work, but joining the behaviors brought miraculous changes.

What moved me the most was how much Raun changed and grew in response to the internal work Bears and Samahria did to be clear and present. They invited Raun to… show more.

I don’t know what could be more inspiring than hearing from someone who experienced the Son-Rise Program as the recipient of the program. I knew that Raun had changed immensely thanks to the program his parents ran for him, but I loved reading Raun’s perspective on his own journey as the original Son-Rise son.

I loved the straightforward way he explains the Son-Rise Program because I can always use reminders for how to best meet my daughter where she is. Reading this book felt like a refresher course from my training at the Autism Treatment Center of America and helped me be more of the mom I want to be. 

I read this in the early days following Sarah’s medical diagnosis when she was one year old. It felt like finding water in a desert. It was the first time I came across any acknowledgment that parents of kids with special needs go through the grieving process.

I liked the explanation of why I was probably having a hard time: not only was I grieving, but I was, of course, also still navigating how to care for my child, who needed even more care than the typical child. Suddenly, I didn’t feel like a terrible person for having the feelings I was having.

When I let myself grieve without judgment, then, I moved through those difficult feelings more easily and could find some breathing room, which helped me be more available to take care of my daughter.

I always find it helpful to express my feelings, and I love that this book addresses the need for children to do so, too. Whenever I feel tight and anxious in my parenting and realize I’m trying to control my children's emotional experiences, this is a helpful reminder to be with them and listen.

That always makes a difference. I remember that I don’t have to solve my kids’ problems; I can just show up and listen. I can trust that when they get sad and mad, they will be sparkly again, just as I am when I move through my feelings.

The most helpful section of the book for me was about when kids show anger. My daughter often has angry outbursts, and I liked that this book reminded me that she might be having underlying feelings of fear and anxiety. It helped me get to the root of… show more.

We live in a world that all too often pathologizes autism and sees autistic people as broken and in need of fixing. In this book, Dr. Barry Prizant sees neurodivergent people through a strengths-based lens.

I appreciate the importance he places on listening to and understanding the experiences of autistic people and how he uses those experiences to illustrate the unique gifts that autistic people bring to the world. Dr. Prizant has helped to inspire the continued evolution of our Cortica clinical care model, and his book highlights the importance of amplifying neurodiverse voices.

This stunning book puts me in the head of a young boy with a neurodivergent way of seeing the world. I picked up this book before a cross-country flight and couldn’t stand that we landed, and I would have to stop reading for the drive home.

It immersed me in Christopher’s dilemma of trying to make sense of people. The most trivial things become massive. I was hurtled along with him for a harrowing, incredible journey. Profoundly moving!

Kaz Windness, the author-illustrator wrote Bitsy for herself and anyone who is neurodivergent and experiencing something for the first time.

Bitsy is nervous about starting school and her family makes space for her to practice and prepare for her first night at school. She begins school and tries to go about the day in ways that feel natural to her but is quickly judged by others, being expected to do things the way her classmates do things.

While Bitsy had a rough first day, she is reminded that she is a star by being herself. She steps into her power and heads into her second day of school to help others do the same. My biological niece from my maternal-side was just recently diagnosed with autism. I was happy to be able to add this book to her bookshelf as she is navigating the world. 

There are now many excellent books on the market written by people with autism about living with autism. Donna Williams might be considered one of the pioneers in this regard. I love the way that this book gives insight into ways of being which would not traditionally be considered ‘neurotypical’.

Reading first-hand accounts of autism is a must for anyone who is interested in neurodiversity. Williams’ death in 2017 represented a great loss to autism communities and, indeed, to the world in general.

Like many late-diagnosed Autistic women, I don’t see myself reflected in diagnostic criteria that view Autism through a medical pathology lens and focus on identifying “deficits” and “abnormalities”. I find this way of talking about Autism deeply uncomfortable and othering.

By contrast, this book provides a practical and detailed guide to what Autism actually looks like, focusing on our valid differences and difficulties, using neutral, not stigmatizing, language. As a clinical psychologist working with Autistic adults, I appreciate how this book offers examples from people who mask (hide) their more obvious Autistic differences and uses personal stories to illustrate this.

I’m a passionate member of the neurodiversity-affirming movement, and this book makes an important contribution to destigmatizing Autism and improving the care Autistic people experience from health professionals.

This book beautifully explores the challenge of living with an autistic sibling. Eight – 12-year-olds are invited to draw/write about their feelings and experiences on their own and/or with a parent or their special-needs sibling. The basics of autism are explained to help children understand why their sibling acts the way they do, increasing empathy, reducing frustration, and decreasing conflict. This is a gentle, normalizing, and ultimately empowering book geared to families living with autism but potentially useful to children with special-needs siblings of all stripes.