3 Books to Help You Talk to Your Child About their Autism Diagnosis

Need help explaining an autism diagnosis to your child? These books will help you start the conversation and help you talk to your child about their autism diagnosis.

There are many reasons why you need to tell your autistic child about their autism diagnosis.

And there are tons of great resources to help you explain autism to kids.

But with so much information out there on this topic, it can be a bit overwhelming to wade through it all.

You also worry about getting it right. Hint: don't stress about getting it right or perfect. Instead, just aim to start the conversation and create a dialogue with your child.

So to help you get the conversation started with your autistic child, I'm sharing my 3 must-have books when it comes to explaining an autism diagnosis to a child: one for you as a parent, one to share with kids of all ages, and one dedicated to teens and tweens.

As an added bonus, these books are short. They're around 100 pages or less, meaning you could easily read them in an afternoon and have more time to get that conversation going.

Autism books for parents that will help you tell your kid they have autism

3 Must-Have Books to Help You Talk to Your Child About their Autism Diagnosis

1. The Little Book of Autism FAQs: How to Talk with Your Child About their Diagnosis & Other Conversations

By Davida Hartman

If you're unsure of where to start, then a good starting point would be this little book. This book was surprisingly good (I'm always so hesitant about autism books I stumble upon randomly at the library).

It's only 100ish pages and can be read in an afternoon. It has lots of tips and suggestions on why you need to tell your child, when to tell them, and how to actually go about doing it. It will basically help inspire you to start the conversation with your child.

2. Just Right for You: A Story About Autism

By Melanie Heyworth & illustrated by CeART (I am Cadence)

Regardless of how old your child is, this book is absolutely wonderful to share with them. I seriously cried when reading this book for the first time and think it's a perfect book for introducing your child's diagnosis with them.

This book is written and illustrated by autistic people, which I love.

Just Right for You is also now available in Spanish!

3. The Awesome Autistic Go-To Guide: A Practical Handbook for Autistic Teens and Tweens

By Yenn Purkis and Tanya Masterman

Written by autistics for autistics, this book is excellent for explaining an autism diagnosis to your tween or teen.

It is short (only 108 pages) and includes lots of workbook-style pages for your teen to fill in, helping them better understand their autism diagnosis and sensory needs. You could read it together or let them read through it at their own pace.