100 books like Unmasking Autism

By Devon Price,

Here are 100 books that Unmasking Autism fans have personally recommended if you like Unmasking Autism. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing

Jennifer Kemp Author Of The Neurodivergence Skills Workbook for Autism and ADHD: Cultivate Self-Compassion, Live Authentically, and Be Your Own Advocate

From my list on being proud of your neurodivergent identity.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a clinical psychologist who was surprised to realize that I am both Autistic and an ADHDer in my late 40s. I have always been fascinated by psychology, and now Autism and ADHD have become my areas of “special interest” (“spin”). I have been reading widely to learn more about myself, find practical ways to alleviate the chronic sense of overwhelm I experience and recover from burnout. Most of my clients are also late-diagnosed neurodivergent adults who have complex mental and physical health problems, so the reading I’ve been doing has given me fresh insights to share and helpful strategies we can test out together. 

Jennifer's book list on being proud of your neurodivergent identity

Jennifer Kemp Why did Jennifer love this book?

This tiny book taught me how to be more self-compassionate in some very practical ways. On the surface, this book is about housekeeping and chores, but it’s much more than that. When I read this book, I was in burnout, and “doom piles” of unfinished tasks were building up in my home.

KC reminded me that I could unhook from the unrealistic expectations I had of myself, see this mess as “morally neutral,” and understand that my home being messy did not mean I was a failure. She gave me practical strategies to show “kindness to future me,” and I still love how the book has a shortcut way of reading it, with all the key points highlighted, so I can jump back in at any time and find something useful.

By KC Davis,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked How to Keep House While Drowning as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE PERFECT CLEANING GUIDE FOR 2023

This is a book for anyone who is looking for an accessible and gentle way to care for their home - and themselves.

KC Davis, therapist and busy mother of two, will introduce you to six life-changing principles to revolutionise the way you approach domestic work, all without a single to-do list. Inside, you'll learn how to stagger tasks to avoid procrastination, soothe stress by setting priorities, set up your space to work for you... and tackle that ever-mounting laundry pile. With KC's help, your home will feel like a sanctuary again.

_________________________

What…


Book cover of Different, Not Less: A neurodivergent's guide to embracing your true self and finding your happily ever after

Jennifer Kemp Author Of The Neurodivergence Skills Workbook for Autism and ADHD: Cultivate Self-Compassion, Live Authentically, and Be Your Own Advocate

From my list on being proud of your neurodivergent identity.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a clinical psychologist who was surprised to realize that I am both Autistic and an ADHDer in my late 40s. I have always been fascinated by psychology, and now Autism and ADHD have become my areas of “special interest” (“spin”). I have been reading widely to learn more about myself, find practical ways to alleviate the chronic sense of overwhelm I experience and recover from burnout. Most of my clients are also late-diagnosed neurodivergent adults who have complex mental and physical health problems, so the reading I’ve been doing has given me fresh insights to share and helpful strategies we can test out together. 

Jennifer's book list on being proud of your neurodivergent identity

Jennifer Kemp Why did Jennifer love this book?

I find Chloé Hayden inspirational, and when I read this book, it felt like she was talking to me. Chloé was diagnosed Autistic in her childhood and an ADHDer in adulthood. At the time, there wasn’t anything available for neurodivergent women that helped us discover and embrace who we are.

Chloé jumped online and started a YouTube channel, and she still creates videos that are just so incredibly authentic and joyful to watch. In her book I enjoy her practical, no-nonsense writing style, and how she wove good quality information with personal stories in a way that made this book a pleasure to read.

By Chloe Hayden,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Different, Not Less as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Growing up, Chlo Hayden felt like she'd crash-landed on an alien planet where nothing made sense. Eye contact? Small talk? And why are you people so touch-oriented? She moved between 10 schools in 8 years, struggling to become a person she believed society would accept, and was eventually diagnosed with autism and ADHD. When a life-changing group of allies showed her that different did not mean less, she learned to celebrate her true voice and find her happily ever after.

This is a moving, at times funny story of how it feels to be neurodivergent as well as a practical…


Book cover of How to Be Nice to Yourself: The Everyday Guide to Self-Compassion

Jennifer Kemp Author Of The Neurodivergence Skills Workbook for Autism and ADHD: Cultivate Self-Compassion, Live Authentically, and Be Your Own Advocate

From my list on being proud of your neurodivergent identity.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a clinical psychologist who was surprised to realize that I am both Autistic and an ADHDer in my late 40s. I have always been fascinated by psychology, and now Autism and ADHD have become my areas of “special interest” (“spin”). I have been reading widely to learn more about myself, find practical ways to alleviate the chronic sense of overwhelm I experience and recover from burnout. Most of my clients are also late-diagnosed neurodivergent adults who have complex mental and physical health problems, so the reading I’ve been doing has given me fresh insights to share and helpful strategies we can test out together. 

Jennifer's book list on being proud of your neurodivergent identity

Jennifer Kemp Why did Jennifer love this book?

This beautiful book makes offering yourself compassion simple and achievable. I have been recommending this book for a long time because I love how Laura captures all the key skills of self-compassion and explains them in a way that is practical and easy to follow.

So many books about self-compassion are very long, theoretical, and unnecessarily complex, and I find them hard to read. This book is grounded in what researchers have shown can help (it’s evidence-based), but it doesn’t get bogged down in theory.

Instead, Laura’s simple worksheets, written exercises, mindfulness, and visualization scripts gave me new skills to tackle self-criticism and put self-compassion into action. I have even used exercises in the book with my clients and they’ve loved them too.

By Laura Silberstein-Tirch,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How to Be Nice to Yourself as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Practice deep self compassion with a wide range of strategies.

Today's the day to start loving yourself. How to Be Nice to Yourself makes it simple to start practicing self compassion with a wide variety of techniques and strategies that anyone can learn.

Filled with easy-to-use advice drawn from a variety of sources―including meditation, mindfulness, and acceptance and commitment therapy―this book will help you find the right way to start feeling good about yourself.

How to Be Nice to Yourself: The Everyday Guide to Self Compassion includes:

Proven Strategies―Learn a variety of ways to practice self compassion daily―with meditations, writing…


Book cover of Is This Autism?: A Guide for Clinicians and Everyone Else

Jennifer Kemp Author Of The Neurodivergence Skills Workbook for Autism and ADHD: Cultivate Self-Compassion, Live Authentically, and Be Your Own Advocate

From my list on being proud of your neurodivergent identity.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a clinical psychologist who was surprised to realize that I am both Autistic and an ADHDer in my late 40s. I have always been fascinated by psychology, and now Autism and ADHD have become my areas of “special interest” (“spin”). I have been reading widely to learn more about myself, find practical ways to alleviate the chronic sense of overwhelm I experience and recover from burnout. Most of my clients are also late-diagnosed neurodivergent adults who have complex mental and physical health problems, so the reading I’ve been doing has given me fresh insights to share and helpful strategies we can test out together. 

Jennifer's book list on being proud of your neurodivergent identity

Jennifer Kemp Why did Jennifer love this book?

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.

By Donna Henderson, Sarah Wayland, Jamell White

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Is This Autism? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Though our understanding of autism has greatly expanded, many autistic individuals are still missed or misdiagnosed. This highly accessible book clarifies many ways that autism can present, particularly in people who camouflage to hide their autistic traits.

The authors take the reader step by step through the diagnostic criteria, incorporating the latest research as well as quotes from over 100 autistic contributors that bring that research to life. They also describe many aspects of autism that are not included in the current diagnostic criteria, such as autistic strengths and co-occurring disorders. Readers will learn about highly relevant topics, such as…


Book cover of The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention

Suzanne Goh, MD Author Of Magnificent Minds: The New Whole-Child Approach to Autism

From my list on autism: strengths-based, neurodivergent.

Why am I passionate about this?

My journey began as a high school camp counselor at the Ability Center of Greater Toledo in Ohio. As I worked with children who had neurodevelopmental differences and collaborated with a co-counselor who had cerebral palsy, I saw how people with differences were marginalized and devalued despite being insightful, empathetic, passionate, funny, and talented. My appreciation for their strengths and perspectives shaped my approach as a pediatric neurologist, BCBA, neuroscientist, researcher, and founder of Cortica, which is focused on a whole-child, neurodivergent-affirming approach to care for autism and other neurodevelopmental differences. Reading is an important way for me to stay connected to the strengths-based lens I began cultivating in my teens.

Suzanne's book list on autism: strengths-based, neurodivergent

Suzanne Goh, MD Why did Suzanne love this book?

As a clinician and researcher, I’ve come to appreciate neurodivergent people’s boundless capacity for innovation and creativity. This book by Simon Baron-Cohen argues that these strengths that I’ve observed over the everyday course of my work have helped to advance humanity’s progress for tens of thousands of years.

Autistic people, Baron-Cohen argues, have a distinct ability to identify and manipulate “if-then” patterns, leading to advancements in everything from agricultural and hunting practices to musical instruments and modern digital technology. I share his belief that we must do more to nurture autistic people’s innate abilities, recognize their talents, and advocate for an inclusive world that allows them to share their gifts far and wide.

By Simon Baron-Cohen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Pattern Seekers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A groundbreaking argument about the link between autism and ingenuity.
Why can humans alone invent? In The Pattern Seekers, Cambridge University psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen makes a case that autism is as crucial to our creative and cultural history as the mastery of fire. Indeed, Baron-Cohen argues that autistic people have played a key role in human progress for seventy thousand years, from the first tools to the digital revolution.
How? Because the same genes that cause autism enable the pattern seeking that is essential to our species's inventiveness. However, these abilities exact a great cost on autistic people, including social…


Book cover of Autistic Community and the Neurodiversity Movement: Stories from the Frontline

Ed Thompson Author Of A Hidden Force: Unlocking the Potential of Neurodiversity at Work

From my list on challenging perceptions of neurodiversity.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a young businessperson in London in my early 30s, I was as ignorant of neurodiversity as much of the rest of the world. In the mid-2010s, I got fascinated by the topic thanks to conversations with autistic family members, who encouraged me to bring some of my expertise in corporate diversity programs to the field of “neurodiversity at work”. The topic of neurodiversity chimed with me, too, as I’d suffered a traumatic brain injury in a serious car accident, and there were aspects I could relate to. I founded neurodiversity training company Uptimize to help ensure organizations across the world understand how the importance of embracing and leveraging different types of thinkers.

Ed's book list on challenging perceptions of neurodiversity

Ed Thompson Why did Ed love this book?

Neurodiversity is simply a reality of our species… so why are we only talking about this now in society and in the workplace?

I loved this collection of essays and reminiscences by key figures in the early neurodiversity movement, and found the stories within both touching and inspiring and even humorous (ever heard of the “Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical”?).

Here is where we can get an answer to the “why now” question: for the global neurodiversity conversation of the 2020s can be traced directly to these pioneers, their activism, and their determination to change the world. 

By Steven K. Kapp (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Autistic Community and the Neurodiversity Movement as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This open access book marks the first historical overview of the autism rights branch of the neurodiversity movement, describing the activities and rationales of key leaders in their own words since it organized into a unique community in 1992. Sandwiched by editorial chapters that include critical analysis, the book contains 19 chapters by 21 authors about the forming of the autistic community and neurodiversity movement, progress in their influence on the broader autism community and field, and their possible threshold of the advocacy establishment. The actions covered are legendary in the autistic community, including manifestos such as "Don't Mourn for…


Book cover of Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity

Simon Baron-Cohen Author Of The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention

From my list on exploring the human mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Cambridge University. I've been conducting autism research for 40 years, and this has taken me deep into understanding how the mind works, in both autistic and neurotypical people. I've focused in particular on two aspects of the mind, empathy and systemizing, to understand how these develop, how individual differences in these arise, and how we can celebrate such neurodiversity and provide support for people who struggle with these. My research spans psychology, neuroscience, genetics, endocrinology, clinical practice, education, and vulnerability. 

Simon's book list on exploring the human mind

Simon Baron-Cohen Why did Simon love this book?

This book deservedly won the Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction. It is simultaneously a history of autism, and a history of the concept of neurodiversity. It reaches back to the origins of the internet and the dark history of eugenics in the Holocaust. And it reaches forward into contemporary ideas about respecting, accepting, and celebrating differences in the mind, particularly of autistic people.

By Steve Silberman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Neurotribes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of the 2015 Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fictionA New York Times bestsellerForeword by Oliver SacksWhat is autism: a devastating developmental condition, 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.Following on from his groundbreaking article 'The Geek Syndrome', 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…


Book cover of We Walk: Life with Severe Autism

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer Author Of The Little Gate-Crasher: The Life and Photos of Mace Bugen

From my list on disability awareness.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm writer, educator, disability advocate, and mother of a teenage son with multiple disabilities. Since my son’s diagnosis with autism at age three, I've been on a quest to not only understand the way that his unique brain works, but also to advocate for a more just and equitable world for people with disabilities and their families. When researching my book The Little Gate-Crasher, I discovered how much my great-grandmother was a powerful advocate for her son Mace who was born with a form of dwarfism. Our society has evolved in the last one hundred years in terms of inclusion and accessibility—and yet, people with disabilities and their loved ones are often isolated.

Gabrielle's book list on disability awareness

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer Why did Gabrielle love this book?

As a mother of a child with severe autism, I am grateful to Amy Lutz for writing a book that captures our family's unique challenges. Too often, media focuses on people with autism who need a lower level of support and it can feel like life with severe autism is being overlooked. Lutz’s beautiful writing gives you a window into a much-needed read.

By Amy S. F. Lutz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked We Walk as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this collection of beautiful and raw essays, Amy S. F. Lutz writes openly about her experience-the positive and the negative-as a mother of a now twenty-one-year-old son with severe autism. Lutz's human emotion drives through each page and challenges commonly held ideas that define autism either as a disease or as neurodiversity. We Walk is inspired by her own questions: What is the place of intellectually and developmentally disabled people in society? What responsibilities do we, as citizens and human beings, have to one another? Who should decide for those who cannot decide for themselves? What is the meaning…


Book cover of The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism

Ned Hayes Author Of The Eagle Tree

From my list on YA on the autistic experience/outsider experiences.

Why am I passionate about this?

We all have important stories to tell. So my mission in life is to tell stories from many different perspectives. To date, I’ve written novels narrated by a 13th-century woman, a gruff North Idaho detective, a 14-year-old boy, a sorcerer, and even a tree! To write all my characters, I start with my own experiences of course –March Wong in The Eagle Tree draws on my own experiences growing up in China and from my experience working with neurodivergent children. But I don’t stay locked in my own perspective. Instead, I use my stories to continuously stretch our understanding of what it means to be human. 

Ned's book list on YA on the autistic experience/outsider experiences

Ned Hayes Why did Ned love this book?

The Reason I Jump is a fascinating look inside the mind of a neurodivergent young man who shares his hopes, his dreams, and his unique perspective on the culture we all live in. I learned so much about Naoki’s unique point of view and grew to have great empathy for his inability to easily communicate his needs to others. This is a fully embodied look at our world from someone who sees from a different point of view, a non-verbal Japanese young man who has lived a rich and full life but doesn’t see the world the same as neurotypical people. 

I love the way that Naoki’s full humanity comes through in this nonfiction book, ably translated and written down in English by the bestselling literary superstar David Mitchell. Read it, and you’ll love Naoki as well!

By Naoki Higashida, KA Yoshida (translator), David Mitchell (translator)

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Reason I Jump as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The No. 1 Sunday Times and internationally bestselling account of life as a child with autism, now an award-winning documentary film.

'It will stretch your vision of what it is to be human' Andrew Solomon, The Times
What is it like to have autism? How can we know what a person - especially a child - with autism is thinking and feeling?

This groundbreaking book, written by Naoki Higashida when he was only thirteen, provides some answers. Severely autistic and non-verbal, Naoki learnt to communicate by using a 'cardboard keyboard' - and what he has to say gives a rare…


Book cover of Autism: Sensory-Movement Differences and Diversity

Suzanne Goh, MD Author Of Magnificent Minds: The New Whole-Child Approach to Autism

From my list on autism: strengths-based, neurodivergent.

Why am I passionate about this?

My journey began as a high school camp counselor at the Ability Center of Greater Toledo in Ohio. As I worked with children who had neurodevelopmental differences and collaborated with a co-counselor who had cerebral palsy, I saw how people with differences were marginalized and devalued despite being insightful, empathetic, passionate, funny, and talented. My appreciation for their strengths and perspectives shaped my approach as a pediatric neurologist, BCBA, neuroscientist, researcher, and founder of Cortica, which is focused on a whole-child, neurodivergent-affirming approach to care for autism and other neurodevelopmental differences. Reading is an important way for me to stay connected to the strengths-based lens I began cultivating in my teens.

Suzanne's book list on autism: strengths-based, neurodivergent

Suzanne Goh, MD Why did Suzanne love this book?

Parents’ and professionals’ judgments of neurodivergent children, which are often based on perceived deficits, can limit those children’s choices and opportunities. Dictating the course of neurodivergent children’s care without involving them as active participants can also have dire, long-lasting consequences.

This book by Martha Leary and Anne Donnellan illustrates the importance of understanding the sensory and movement experiences of autistic people, which is only possible if you take the time to actively listen to those experiences and use them to shape an approach to care. The book helped to inform the care model we use at Cortica and reinforced my commitment to providing a personalized level of support that integrates children’s engagement in the process and honors each child’s unique journey, needs, and strengths.

By Martha R. Leary, Anne M. Donnellan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Autism as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

First time in one volume: Leary and Donnellan's influential works on autism and sensory-movement differences.


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in neurodiversity, Autism spectrum disorder, and autism?

Neurodiversity 89 books
Autism 69 books