In recognition of ADHD Awareness & OCD Awareness Month in October, we have compiled a list of materials for all ages about the diverse experiences of the neurodivergent community.
According to Gale Health and Wellness, Neurodiversity “encompasses differences in brain structure, chemistry, and functioning that result in cognitive, sensory perception, emotional, and mental health differences among people.”
“Neurodiversity means that some so-called ‘neurological conditions’ are manifestations of genetic variability, possibly with environmental influences, rather than diseases or disorders. Although they often cause disabilities, they are integral to a person’s identity and cannot be removed or cured. Furthermore, neurodiversity is a major contributor to each individual’s uniqueness and to the human capacity for invention and adaptation.”
Check out these month’s shelf talkers in our stacks, which highlight Fiction and Graphic Novels featuring neurodiverse characters, and our reading list below!
Celebrating Neurodiversity
Please note, these titles may be available in other formats or languages. Check the catalog by clicking the links for further availability.
The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla
Follows thirteen-year-old neurodivergent Maudie during an eventful summer in California with her father, where she struggles with whether to share a terrible secret about life with her mom and stepdad.
Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt
Seventh-grader Selah Godfrey knows that to be “normal” she has to keep her feelings tightly controlled when people are around, but after hitting a fellow student, she needs to figure out just what makes her different–and why that is ok. Told in verse.
True Biz by Sara Novic
This is a story of sign language and lip-reading, cochlear implants and civil rights, isolation and injustice, first love and loss, and, above all, great persistence, daring, and joy. Absorbing and assured, idiosyncratic and relatable, this is an unforgettable journey into the Deaf community and a universal celebration of human connection
Flap Your Hands: A Celebration of Stimming by Steve Asbell
Four neurodivergent kids, who face stressful moments throughout their day, use body movements, called stims, to self-regulate their emotions.
Parenting at the Intersections by Jaya Ramesh & Priya Saaral.
What if parenting were an act of social justice? In this part story-telling, part self-inquiry book, authors and therapists Jaya Ramesh and Priya Saaral situate parenting children of color with neurodivergence within the context of various interlocking systems of oppression including settler colonialism, White supremacy, ableism, and capitalism. These intersections engender isolation and loneliness. Using the voices of parents on the front lines and other experts, Parenting at the Intersections offer an invitation to parents to slow down and reflect on their own parenting journeys. When parents can be given space to listen to their own voices, to connect with their children, and find community with others, they can find the most radical ways to disrupt systems of oppression.
Tilly in Technicolor by Mazey Eddings
When eighteen-year-old Tilly goes to London to intern for her sister’s company, she begins to unmask her ADHD and connects with Oliver, another neurodivergent intern. Tilly Twomley white-knuckled her way through high school with flawed executive functioning has left her burnt out and ready to start fresh. Working as an intern for her perfect older sister’s start up requries her to travel around Europe, offering a much-needed change of scenery as she plans for her future. Oliver Clark’s autism often makes it hard for him to form relationships, but his love of color theory and design allows him to feel deeply connected to the world around him. He’s earned placement into a prestigious design program, and a summer internship to build his resume. But now he’s being forced to spend the summer with a girl that couldn’t be more his opposite– and feeling things for her he can’t quite name. As their neurodiverse connection grows, they learn that some of the best parts of life can’t be planned.
Wonderfully Wired Brains by Louise Gooding (illustrated by Ruth Burrows)
This inclusive book will introduce children to the world of neurodiversity and encourages them to embrace their differences.
Traveling Different: Vacation strategies for parents of the anxious, the inflexible, and the neurodiverse by Dawn M. Barclay
The travel bible for parents of children with autism spectrum disorder and/or mood and distraction disorders, offering helpful tips to soothe any child’s travel anxieties.
Canaries Among Us: A mother’s quest to honor her child’s individuality in a culture determined to negate it by Kayla Taylor
Canaries Among Us explores one of the most widespread threats to children’s well-being: a lack of acceptance. Kayla Taylor starts her day as an ordinary parent at a respected school, but her family’s life turns upside-down when her child becomes the prime target of bullying. Taylor assumes the school will partner with her to solve the problem but is confounded when she finds the opposite: officials not only turn a blind eye to cruelty but also ostracize and attack anyone who speaks up against it. Frustrated by this failure to protect vulnerable students, Taylor researches the challenges those in charge are most unwilling to discuss with her–like bullying, learning differences, and anxiety. She then digs deeper to study empowering responses that are woefully absent from many parenting books and teaching curricula–including validation, empathy, apologies, forgiveness, healing, and belonging. These concepts end up providing the guideposts Taylor needs to navigate both the exquisite joy and raw heartache inherent in raising a child who doesn’t fit society’s definition of “normal.”
Lavender Clouds by Bex Ollerton
In Lavender Clouds, Bex Ollerton translates her experiences with Autism, ADHD, and mental health into a series of colorful, emotionally resonant comics that tell stories of neurodiversity and resilience. With a tone that is sharp but always sensitive, this debut book collection describes the many insights and strategies the author has learned on her journey to self-acceptance. Among the many topics addressed in the book are the folly of “foolproof” organization strategies, the perils of burnout, the joy of small hopes, and the importance of growing at your own pace and on your own path Breathtaking in its artistic range and emotional truth, Lavender Clouds offers an enlightening and uplifting read for anyone struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, burnout, or other issues related to mental health.
To A Darker Shore by Leanne Schwartz
To keep the devil at bay, her beauty-obsessed kingdom sacrifices unattractive children to hell’s entrance every season, prompting plain, poor, plus-sized, autistic Alesta to travel to the very depths of hell to avenge her best friend’s death and stop the sacrifices forever.
Last Call At the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
Opposites attract when a free-spirited American singer-songwriter with ADHD teams up with a charming Irishman to revitalize his family’s pub in the next heartfelt romance from the author of Luck and Last Resorts.
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
Garnering media attention when she tries to incinerate her dead father, reclusive Sally Diamond, beginning to discover the horrors of her early childhood, steps into the world for the first time and soon finds her trust issues severely challenged by a sinister voice from her past she does not remember.
Next Level: A hymn in gratitude for our neurodiversity by Samara Cole Doyon (illustrated by Kaylani Juanita)
A loving mother celebrates the unique and powerful way her son with autism communicates.
A Day With No Words by Tiffany Hammond (illustrations by Kate Cosgrove)
Young children will learn what life can look like for an autistic child who uses nonverbal communication by following a mother and child on a day where they use a tablet to communicate with others.
Self-Care for People with ADHD by Sasha Hamdani
When you have ADHD, it can be hard to stay on top of your wellness. Self-Care for People with ADHD is here to help! This book can help you engage in some neurodiverse self-care–without pretending to be neurotypical. You’ll find more than 100 tips to accepting yourself, destigmatizing ADHD, finding your community, and taking care of your physical and mental health. You’ll find solutions for managing the negative aspects of ADHD, as well as ideas to bring out the positive aspects.
Crip up the Kitchen: Tools, Tips, and Recipes for the Disabled Cook by Jules Sherred
The kitchen is the most ableist room in the house. With 50 recipes that make use of three key tools–the electric pressure cooker, air fryer, and bread machine–Jules has set out to make the kitchen accessible and enjoyable.
My Brain is Magic by Prasha Sooful (illustrated by Geeta Ladi)
A sensory-seeking child describes her sensational life. Whether your brain buzzes around the room like a bee or tells you to be loud and roar like a lion, celebrate the many things that it can be! This sensory-seeking celebration shines a light on sensory processing and neurodiversity in a fun and action-packed way for all children to enjoy.
NeuroTribes: the legacy of autism and the future of neurodiversity by Steve Silberman
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.
Nobody’s Normal: How culture created the stigma of mental illness by Roy Richard Grinker
A compassionate and eye-opening examination of evolving attitudes toward mental illness throughout history and the fight to end the stigma.
The Reason I Jump
Based on the best-selling book by Naoki Higashida, is an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of nonspeaking autistic people from around the world.
