A Different Way of Thinking: Dr. Temple Grandin and 30 Books About Autistic Mighty Girls

The Girl Who Thought In Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin was considered a strange girl, and doctors told her mother she'd never speak, let alone have a productive life. But her mother refused to believe it: she saw potential in her observant and creative child. As Temple grew, she started learning how to articulate the different way that her mind worked: her astounding visual memory allowed her to draw whole blueprints just from one tour through a facility, and her empathy with animals helped her design spaces that helped them stay calm. Today, she is a powerful voice in science, advocating for autistic people like herself. This picture book biography told in rhyming text is an inspiring introduction to an important figure in scientific history.

Who Is Temple Grandin?

When Temple Grandin was a child, she was obviously different from other kids: she didn't speak until she was four, she couldn't show affection, and she frequently melted down when she was overwhelmed by noise, light, or touch. Thanks to her supportive mother, though, Temple realized that she just needed the right environment to unlock her potential. She turned her understanding of animals and her incredible visual mind into a career in animal science. And when she was diagnosed with autism in her 40s, she became an advocate for people around the world whose brains are different, not less! In this inspiring biography from the illustrated middle grade Who Was...? biography series is perfect for both autistic and neurotypical kids to learn more about this pioneering scientist.

Temple Grandin

When Temple Grandin's mother (Julia Ormond) was told she would never speak and should be institutionalized, she was determined to give her daughter every chance to live whatever life she chose. The film follows Grandin (Claire Danes) as she not only goes to school, college, and grad school — despite the cruelty of her peers at her odd behavior and the resistance of adults who believed she could not succeed — but eventually discovers that her own experiences give her a unique insight into the daily lives of animals. Eventually, she turns that insight into the driving force behind a powerful movement for compassionate treatment of stock in slaughterhouses, and animal welfare in general. Danes captures Grandin’s behavior patterns, including modes of speech, difficulty with social skills, and sometimes violent reactions to overstimulation, without exaggerating them into caricature. This multi-award-winning film perfectly depicts that different from neurotypical people is not the same as less.

Too Sticky!: Sensory Issues With Autism

Holly normally loves science, but today, she's anxious. Their next experiment is making slime... and Holly HATES sticky things, which make her skin crawl. While her class is inclusive and understanding of her sensory issues, even apologizing when they make loud noises that hurt her ears, Holly's not sure how to overcome this challenge. Fortunately, both her family and her teacher are ready to help her with accommodations — and encouragement — so she can participate. This thoughtful picture book, inspired by the experiences of the author and her daughter, who are both autistic, highlight the power of true inclusion in the classroom to help kids achieve their goals.

Slug Days

Lauren, a young girl with autism spectrum disorder, is having a week of ups and downs. Some days, Lauren says, are "slug days" — those are the days when people don't understand her and she feels like she has no friends. Other days are "butterfly days," like when she makes her classmates laugh or has special time with Mom. It's hard for Lauren to stay calm or to understand others' feelings, but when she does, she doesn't just learn to shine in her own, unique way; she also provides a helping had to a new student... who becomes a new friend! Author Sara Leach's experience teaching kids with ASD allows her to create a realistic portrayal of life through their eyes in this illustrated chapter book. Lauren returns — this time, dealing with the sensory and social stresses of a family wedding — in the sequel Penguin Days.

Hannah Sharpe, Cartoon Detective

11-year-old Hannah Sharpe is a curious and creative autistic girl who uses her artwork — including her comic starring a pickle cowgirl in the Wild West — to help her understand the social world around her. But her greatest strengths are her memory and her ability to notice things other people overlook. When a couple moves into her family's Airbnb, Hannah feels like Doug, the boyfriend, is hiding something, even though his girlfriend Remy is helpful and kind. And as Hannah investigates, she discovers stolen packages, hidden cash, changed keypad codes... Can she solve the case before things go out of control? An openhearted main character whose neurodivergent experiences are drawn from illustrator Jake Tashjian’s own life makes this a winning detective story kids will love.

Frankie's World: A Graphic Novel

12-year-old Frankie always feels like an outsider in her class. She's smaller than her classmates, and she goes to the hospital regularly to check if she's growing properly. Plus, she finds the world too loud and bright sometimes, and she always seems to say the wrong thing. She doodles in her journal every day, trying to make sense of what's going on around her. When she sees her biological father's name on her birth certificate, Frankie concludes that tracking him down might give her some answers. Maybe he was different too? Inspired by Autistic Irish comedian Aoife Dooley's own experiences with autism and diagnosis, and full of clever and funny observations about fitting in, standing out, and finding your place, this graphic novel is a celebration of being different — as long as it means being yourself.

Mockingbird

Caitlin has always depended on her older brother, Devon, to help comfort her: her diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome means that anything other than black and white is confusing and upsetting. But when Devon is killed in a school shooting, her world is truly turned upside down, and her widower father is too deep in his own grief to help. When Caitlin hears the word closure, she turns to her trusty dictionary and determines that's exactly what she needs — but how is she going to find it? With the help of the school's counselor, maybe Caitlin can also learn to find the friendship she desperately wants. This National Book Award winner beautifully captures Caitlin's thought process, which may seem "weird" to others but makes total sense through her eyes.

A Kind of Spark

11-year-old Addie is used to being the weird one in her small Scottish town: neither her peers nor the adults in her life really understand her special interests, her sensory issues, and her exhaustion with trying (and sometimes failing) to mask her autistic behaviors and seem "normal." But when she learns that her town hosted witch trials centuries ago, she discovers a cause: creating a memorial for the women who were burned just for being different. With the help of her outspoken sister Keedie, who's also autistic, and a new friend named Audrey, Addie is determined to make her voice heard. Written by an award-winning, neurodivergent author, this is a compelling story about acceptance of differences and being true to yourself perfect for fans of Song for a Whale and Counting by 7s.

Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?

11-year-old Aurora is impulsive and talkative, which has always made it hard for her to make friends — except with Frenchie. Frenchie, who is nonverbal and autistic, chose her in third grade and they've been best friends ever since. Together, they explore the outdoors in their coastal Maine town. One day, they even see a rare piebald deer in the woods; shortly afterward, Frenchie disappears. Aurora, who's used to problems being the results of her mistakes, worries that she should have stopped him from disappearing... or maybe she even made him go. But she's determined to put all of her energy into helping find him — and ensuring others can understand his viewpoint when he returns. Both funny and poignant, this novel told from multiple viewpoints explores friendship and community through a neurodiverse lens.

Rules

When a brother has a disability, it can be hard for a sister to combine her love for her sibling with her desire to fit in. 12-year-old Catherine thinks her autistic younger brother David is keeping her from a normal life. She’s spent his whole life trying to teach him the rules to being normal: don’t hug clerks at the store, don’t put toys in the fish tank, don’t yell at the dinner table. But when Catherine meets some new friends, including Jason, a nonverbal paraplegic boy, she starts to realize that maybe “normal” isn’t something that’s so easily defined — and that maybe David has a few lessons to teach her, too.

Bad Best Friend

Five years ago, Niki became best friends with new arrival Ava — leaving behind her former best friend Holly. She and Ava have all sorts of plans for eighth grade, but at the gym class pair up, Ava suddenly chooses one of the popular girls as her partner, leaving Niki reeling. The sudden and confusing change is hard enough, but Niki's family is also struggling with her 9-year-old brother Danny; her mother refuses to believe that he could be on the autism spectrum, but his meltdowns make it clear to Niki that he needs help. Niki wants to be popular, but she's worried that will make her a bad sister — and when Holly single-handedly saves Danny's birthday party, Niki begins to realize that being a good best friend is more complicated, and more simple, than she thought. This powerful middle grade novel is both funny and heartbreaking as it explores one girl's recognition of what true friendship means.

Every Shiny Thing

Lauren is proud of being a good sister to her autistic brother — until her parents send her brother to a therapeutic boarding school. Sierra has been thrust into the foster care system by her alcoholic mother's jail sentence, and finds herself living in Lauren's wealthy neighborhood. The pair become friends, and work together on Lauren's plan to raise money for autistic kids from low-income families — but when Lauren's obsession with her cause pushes her to make some big mistakes both girls will learn important lessons about caring for themselves and others. This novel, told in alternating perspectives and in both verse and prose, is a powerful examination of friendship, justice, and the complexity of human emotion.

When My Heart Joins the Thousand

17-year-old orphan Alvie is autistic, and she's focused on her goal: convince a judge that she's emotionally, mentally, and financially ready for emancipation, before she ends up a ward of the state permanently. All she wants to do is make it to her 18th birthday without a mishap that could ruin everything. Then she meets Stanley, a boy with osteogenesis imperfecta, who tempts her to care about someone again. But can she really believe that Stanley will accept her as she is? A gentle romance that goes beyond stereotypes about autism and chronic illness, this book is a reminder that happiness — and love — are worth fighting for.

The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders (and Their Parents)

Tweens on the autism spectrum disorder often have a lot of questions: what does ASD actually mean? How does their diagnosis make them different from their peers? And how can they manage social situations, personal care, intense emotions, and more as they get older and need to develop more independence? With an encouraging, straightforward tone, this book helps tweens with ASD understand the way their condition affects them and how they can develop strategies that work for them. Individual chapters tackle particular areas like hygiene and toileting, dealing with anxiety, and building healthy diet, exercise, and sleep habits. Tweens will love reading the stories from other real-life kids that reassure them that they can achieve their goals.

The AsperKids' (Secret) Book of Social Rules: The Handbook of Not-So-Obvious Social Guidelines for Tween and Teens with Asperger Syndrome

Kids on the autism spectrum often find it particularly challenging to learn the "unwritten rules" of social interaction — so mother and fellow Aspie Jennier Cook O'Toole wrote them down! In this handy guide, O'Toole, who is the mother of three kids with ASD and was diagnosed herself in adulthood, covers everything from understanding the difference between lying and being tactful, to giving a good compliment, to recognizing when someone is laughing with you rather than at you. She also provides strategies for handling impulsivity and for practicing your newfound social skills so that you're ready to take on the world! This helpful handbook spells out the things kids may have missed in the social whirl, so that they feel ready to jump in when they want to.

The Autism Playbook for Teens: Imagination-Based Mindfulness Activities to Calm Yourself, Build Independence, and Connect With Others

Teens with autism spectrum disorder will find plenty of useful information in this guide from the Instant Help Solutions series! While some guides focus on the negative, this book begins by helping autistic teens find their strengths, and then discover how they can use those strengths to improve social skills, manage anxiety, and become more independent. Mindfulness activities and role-playing scripts help kids practice and prepare for situations that they find challenging, while the empowering emphasis on the strengths teens already possess — and how they can use them to achieve their goals -- builds self-esteem and helps teens see that their differences can be a source of confidence and pride.

The ASD Independence Workbook

Transition Skills for Teens and Young Adults with Autism

For teens and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the transition to independent living can be tough — there are so many unspoken rules and unclear interactions that adults can take for granted. This engaging workbook from the Instant Help Solutions series helps autistic teens figure out these complexities so they can achieve personal, social, and career success! From guidance about communication to important safety and self-care tips to learning to plan your own time, this empowering book helps teens feel confident that they can manage it all — which means they can live the life they want.

Parenting Girls on the Autism Spectrum: Overcoming the Challenges and Celebrating the Gifts

While many books discuss the experience of raising autistic boys, there are many parents of autistic girls who are searching for something that describes their own children. This friendly book by Eileen Riley-Hall, the parent of two girls on the autism spectrum, is the perfect choice for parents looking for more information. Because her daughters, Lizzie and Caroline, have different gifts and challenges, she is also able to bring a broader perspective on what it's like to parent autistic children to the table. In frank but encouraging tones she discusses educational choices, friendship challenges, and teaching autistic girls to manage responsibilities and day-to-day skills; she also addresses parent self-care and the mis-steps and stumbles that may come along the way. Hopeful and loving, this book is a reminder that the diagnosis is just the beginning of a journey.

Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger Syndrome

Girls with autism are less frequently diagnosed than boys, often because they're able to wear a mask that makes them look like they're coping — but that doesn't mean they aren't facing their own challenges. This book, written by an Aspie for Aspergirls and the adults in their lives, guides you through the difficulties autistic girls may face in their personal and professional lives. Author Rudy Simone's book speaks directly to older autistic teens and autistic adults, but it also provides valuable advice for neurotypical parents and teachers on how to encourage and support younger Aspergirls.