Curriculum Materials Center

n this book the author, an animal scientist who also has autism, gets down to the real issues of autism, the ones parents, teachers, and individuals on the spectrum face every day. She discusses how and why people with autism think differently, economical early intervention programs, how sensory sensitivities affect learning, the difference between bad behavior and bad behavior caused by a disability, teaching people with autism how to live in an unpredictable world, the pros and cons of alternate medicine and conventional medicine, and employment ideas for adults with autism. She offers helpful do's and don'ts, practical strategies, and try-it-now tips, all based on her "insider" perspective and a great deal of research.

"Naoki Higashida wrote The Reason I Jump as a 13-year-old boy. Now, he shares his thoughts and experiences as a 24-year old young man with severe autism. In short, powerful chapters, he explores education, identity, family, society and personal growth. He also allows readers to experience profound moments we take for granted, like the thought-steps necessary for him to register that it's raining outside. Introduced by award-winning author David Mitchell (co-translator with his wife, KA Yoshida), this book is part memoir, part critique of a world that sees disabilities ahead of disabled people. It is a self-portrait-in-progress of a young man who happens to have autism, and who wants to help us understand it better"

The author, an autistic teenager, explains how other autistic children can make friends, fit in, and deal with such issues as popularity, peer pressure, and bullying.

A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.

Zane rushes home to tell his mother about problems he faced during his school day, and she reminds him that while others may only see his "autism stripe," he has stripes for honesty, caring, and much more.

For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises -- some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a good-surprise day. Bat's mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a baby skunk, which she needs to take care of until she can hand him over to a wild-animal shelter. But the minute Bat meets the kit, he knows they belong together. And he's got one month to show his mom that a baby skunk might just make a pretty terrific pet.

Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence but her world is further complicated by a friendship with a young paraplegic.

"This is a special education childrens picture books that introduces autism. When an autistic child joins a mainstream school, many children can find it difficult to understand and cope with a student that is somewhat 'different' to them. This story encourages other children to be mindful and patient of the differences that exist and to also appreciate the positive contribution that an autistic child can make to the group"

"What Every Autistic Girl Wishes Her Parents Knew" is the book that many of us wish our parents would have had access to when we were growing up. In this first book release from the Autism Women's Network, the autistic contributors write with honesty and generosity about the emotional needs, sensitivity, and vibrancy of autistic girls.