I've encountered several requests recently on various support groups to which I belong asking for suggestions for books. This list should be useful for anyone who has a child they are trying to explain Asperger Syndrome to, or even for parents or other relatives to whom parents are trying to explain the complexities of AS.

As a parent of a teen with AS and an adult with AS myself, I know firsthand how impossible it can be to help people GET IT. It's soooo difficult, when we look about the same as any neurotypicals, for people to grasp that we are, in fact, fundamentally WIRED DIFFERENTLY in some very critical respects. Certainly not in every respect, which might make it even worse, in terms of getting people to understand and accommodate the differences. We outwardly LOOK like everyone else, so the differently-wired bits seem, instead of just different, as hostile, or stupid, or stubborn, or paranoid, or ignorant, or deliberatly obtuse, etc. Fill in the negative adjective of choice here. But it's not so.

So, here's my starter book list for educating NTs, or helping AS kids better understand themselves, which in turn will help them better self-advocate as they grow older. Note this list doesn't have any of the typical "for the parents" titles, which tend to be by NTs and for NTs, it's really more for our kids and sometimes also good for educating relatives too. So, kind of a different list. for Enjoy!

I recommend (in order from youngest to teenager-appropriate):

This Is Asperger Syndrome (Paperback)
For younger ones, maybe 7 or 8 and younger. Although I also bought this for my own mother back when my son was originally diagnosed, and she, in turn, bought several copies for the more-resistant relatives who needed a bit of education. You know, the "He's just being BAD on purpose to get attention"-types.

Albert Einstein (Famous People Series) (Paperback)
I like this one because, in truth, all the claims of dead people being diagnosed posthumously are just speculation, BUT this book merely describes some of his characteristics, and leaves it to the reader to notice and possibly identify with them. Or not!

Asperger's Huh? A Child's Perspective (Paperback)
This one is very blunt, but I found it really helped my son to read it around age 10. Also, letting some family members and buddies read it was useful, as well. It's all about educating people who don't want to understand neurobiologically-based behaviours.

Blue Bottle Mystery : An Asperger's Adventure (Paperback)
This one made me cry, because the boy in the story is SO mistreated by his teacher. However, it does have a nice ending, and my son really liked it when he was about 9 or 10.

Of Mice and Aliens: An Asperger Adventure (Paperback)
Same author. Good book.

Asperger's Syndrome, The Universe and Everything: Kenneth's Book (Paperback)
Written by an at-the-time-10-year-old AS boy. Quite educational and interesting.

Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence
I cannot recommend this unfortunately-named book highly enough. This is another book written by boy with AS, and he is funny and insightful (as least when it comes to AS! LOL!) Absolutely a must-read for teens with AS AND their families.

Asperger's: What Does It Mean to Me? (Spiral-bound)
This is actually OK for a broad age range. Back when my son was 12, he didn't want to do it because the beginning is rather simplistic, but other friends who have completed it told me that it gets much more sophisticated as you go through it, so I am going to encourage him to try again this summer. It's too hard to get him to work in a workbook when he is dealing with so much homework in grade 7! He needs time to STIM, too!