My Reading Recommendations
The most informative books about neurodiversity, education, parenting, disability, advocacy, and more
Neurodiversity Manitoba’s Book and Podcast Recommendations
Please note that I have provided links primarily to the paperback copies of these books. However, many are also available in eBook or audiobook for a quicker download and are usually a less expensive option.
There are just so many fantastic books out there, this list was getting way too long to keep organized, so I am gradually moving each section over into a separate article, to make titles and subjects easier to find.
Table of Contents
I have organized my recommendations into the following categories:
Emotional Regulation and Behaviour
Giftedness and Twice Exceptionality
Trauma, Disability, and Advocacy (new section)
Books About Emotional Regulation and Behaviour
Emotional Regulation & Behaviour
Books About Education and School
Education & School
Books About Parenting
These books may just change the way you parent
Books about Giftedness and Twice Exceptionality
Gifted and 2e
Different Minds, Deirdre Lovecky : This is an incredible resource for parents of 2e (twice exceptional) children. It is another more science-heavy, in-depth read, but in my opinion well worth the expense and effort.
If This is a Gift, Can I Send it Back? by Jen Merrill : This book is a must-read for parents of twice-exceptional children. It is an honest and hilarious account of a family’s journey from diagnosis to public school to homeschool and so much more. It is informative and entertaining, but more importantly, it’s an act of solidarity for all the other 2e parents out there. The writing is real and open, which allows 2e parents to breathe a sight of relief as we feel truly seen and understood in a society that rarely understands.
Jen Merrill also has a blog called “Laughing at Chaos” and she writes for the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum (GFF), a supportive community for gifted learners and their families.
Twice Exceptional, Barry Kaufman : This book is aimed at educators of 2e students, but again it’s never a bad idea for parents to read these as well. Being informed parents makes us better advocates for ourselves and our children.
Smart but Scattered, Dawson & Guare: This book is aimed at parents of school-aged children who are quite bright, but are not doing well at school due to executive functioning difficulties. In the school environment this commonly presents as forgetting to bring work home, forgetting to had in assignments, disorganized desk, backpack, locker, or binders. Executive functioning is not only about organization and memory, it also includes emotional regulation and regulating one’s attention.
The Gifted Kids Workbook , Heather Boorman : Some people may think that having a gifted child is… well, a gift. It is, yes, but it is not all success and overachieving. In fact, many gifted children underachieve, struggle with social skills and emotional regulation (BIG feelings), and self-esteem due to being so different from their peers. If you’ve read autobiographies by profoundly gifted people, many of them had a great deal of turmoil and struggle in their lives, and gifted kids are no different. The Gifted Kids Workbook is a Mindfulness book that seeks to help gifted children recognize their strengths and the positive aspects of their uniqueness, rather than focusing on the ways in which they don’t “ fit in”.
Boost: Perspectives in Giftedness, Kelly Hirt: This book is aimed at teachers and homeschooling parents of twice exceptional students, but as always, it is beneficial for all parents to be well-informed advocates and support people for their children. Kelly Hirt encourages educators to create a safe and supportive environment where twice exceptional learners are “ boosted” (or lifted up) in a system that so often seems to to push them down. Kelly also has a blog called “My Twice Baked Potato” in which she describes her life with her own 2e son.
Differently Wired, Deborah Reber: Differently Wired is a memoir of Deborah Reber’s experience with her own twice exceptional son. She unabashedly and bravely describes in great detail all the challenges and successes they have experienced in their lives thus far in the hopes to help other parents going through similar experiences. Debroah’s philosophy is to let our children guide their learning and their lives, to honour and celebrate their individuality rather than trying to force them to conform to the mainstream system. If you enter your name and email address on the Tilt Parenting website, you can receive a copy of the first chapter by email.
The Self-Driven Child, by William Stixrud, PhD and Ned Johnson: Stixrud and Johnson want us to empower our children to make their own decisions with our loving support. To learn more about the authors and their book, visit their website at theselfdrivenchild.com.
Books about Neurodivergence
Books about Autism, ADHD, and other types of neurodivergence
Books about Trauma, Disability, and Advocacy
Books for Adults
What Happened To You? by Dr. Bruce Perry (& Oprah Winfrey): Dr. Perry’s work on trauma and healing is transformative. He is worldly, compassionate, and humble. His work combines culture, compassion, and science in an understandable way. One small complaint is I really disliked the interview-style format of this book. While I understand why they did it this way, I found it detracted from Dr. Perry’s important message and the rich content of this book. I would highly recommend it.
The Body Keeps Score, by Bessel van der Kolk: This book is an incredible mix of hard science, neurobiology, and compassion. It is very difficult to read as it deals directly with trauma, but it does provide incredible evidence-based information for people struggling with PTSD, for their loved ones, and for clinicians supporting people with trauma histories.
Equity-Centred Trauma-Informed Education, by Alex Shevrin Venet: Alex Shevrin Venet teaches us that trauma-informed initiatives tend to ignore the reality that inequity itself causes trauma, and that schools often heighten inequities when implementing trauma-informed practices that are not based in educational equity.
The Deepest Well, by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris: In the Deepest Well, Dr. Burke Harris walks us through her experience treating children in underserved, marginalized communities. In her paediatrics practice Dr. Harris discovered the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on both physical and mental health, and made it her mission to educate other professionals and parents about the long-term risks of ACEs. This book outlines the importance of early identification of trauma and providing support through a multidisciplinary approach.
All Our Families, by Jennifer Natalya Fink: Disability studies scholar Jennifer Fink explains how when we cut a disabled member out of the family story, disability remains a trauma as opposed to a shared and ordinary experience. This makes disability and its diagnosis traumatic and exceptional, as opposed to a normal part of life and living.
Recommended Podcasts
Podcasts
One of my favourite Podcasts is Tilt Parenting, hosted by Debrorah Reber. Each episode she interviews an expert on a different topic related to parenting, neurodiversity, school, and childhood struggles. Something that I love about her Podcast website is that you can sort the episodes by topic, so you can easily search for the episodes relevant to you, your family, and/or your interests.
Dr. Ross Greene has a podcast as well. This is a call-in style podcast where parents call with challenges they are facing and Dr. Greene and his co-host help them work through it in a CPS style.
A podcast geared specifically towards neurodivergent and 2e (“twice exceptional”) folks is Mind Matters. Neurodivergence is any brain outside of the “norm” (typically developing), this can be giftedness, ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, any way in which our brains diverge from the mainstream.
Susan Stiffelman, author of Parenting Without Power Struggles, also has a podcast of the same name. Susan Stiffelman usually speaks with an expert guest on a variety of topics related to parenting, family life, and neurodiversity.
In It: Raising Kids Who Learn and Think Differently: From the creators of Understood.org, host Amanda Morin talks with families of kids who struggle with reading, math, focus, and they also speak with experts who offer support and practical advice.
Books & Videos for Children and Youth
Books for Kids
The Monster Diary Series: Includes books about emotional regulation, mindfulness, anxiety, ADHD, social skills, and screen time, in a “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” style. They’re a short read, good for independent readers at about a grade 2 reading level, or for a parent to read to their child.
Survival Guide for Kids with ADHD : It says it’s appropriate for grade levels 3–7. Depending on the child’s reading abilities and maturity, it’s probably more suitable for grade levels 3–6. In kid-friendly language and a format that welcomes reluctant readers, this book helps kids know they’re not alone.
My Brain Needs Glasses : This book is written from the perspective of an 8 year old boy, so it is geared toward second and third-graders. Our son read it in first grade and still found it relatable, it is likely suitable for readers at 2nd-4th grade levels, or to be read with an adult for first-grade level readers.
Bryan Smith has a great series of kid’s books on various types of Executive Functioning challenges that are also geared toward grade 2–3 level readers, but would be suitable for grades 1–4 level readers, with some help for the first graders.
All Dogs Have ADHD: This is definitely a cute book geared toward younger readers, or those who prefer books with big (adorable) pictures and fewer words. Great for dog-loving children.
Have a book to recommend?
Let me know in the comments!
Further Reading
For more informative articles on Neurodiversity, Parenting, Education, and Advocacy, follow Jillian Enright.
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