Two Surprising Books by Young Autistic Authors

Have you ever wondered what is going on inside the minds of autistic kids? Is there a way we can find clues to the reasons behind their actions? More and more, autism researchers are turning to the first hand accounts of autistic children themselves. Two early harbingers of this trend are Daniel Safanski's How to Talk to An Autistic Kid and Naoki Hagoshida's The Reason I Jump. Taking a sidetrip from science and psychology to explore anecdotal accounts of autistic individuals themselves can yield deeply helpful and meaningful insights.

How to Talk to An Autistic Kid by Daniel Stefanski with contributors Eric Braun and Hazel Mitchell. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing, 2011.

The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen Year Old Boy with Autism. New York: Random House, 2013.

Host Dana Colarusso with guest narrator Peter de Mello.

Music for this podcast provided by and used with the permission of Peter de Mello.