Every April, autistic people and members of the autism community campaign to raise awareness, improve understanding and cultivate acceptance of autistic people in society. The initiative is known as Autism Acceptance Month and was founded by autistic disability rights activist Paula C Durbin-Westby in 2011. In honour of Autism Acceptance Month, here is a selection of ten engaging, insightful, and neuro-affirmative books about autism for young readers. Affirmative portrayals of autism in literature are essential for enhancing our collective understanding of the autistic experience. This belief is what inspired me to write my own novel, Freya Harte is Not a Puzzle (for age 13+), which was published by the O’Brien Press last month. Written from my own autistic perspective, it tells the story of a teenage girl learning to embrace her autistic self. Like the other books listed here, I hope it is an enjoyable and insightful read. Happy Autism Acceptance Month!
Maria Oxley Boardman is already waiting at a table when I arrive at the hotel. We text, because at first we cannot find each other. “I’m going to stand up. I might be a bit hidden,” she messages. She stands, I see her waving, and wonder how I possibly missed her. It’s not just the tall, striking, model thing; Maria has been playing Dearbhla Dillon on Fair City for four years now. Even if you don’t watch the show, her face is likely to be vaguely familiar. She gets stopped and recognised all the time, she tells me.
Moving to Dublin towards the end of his teens, Jim Milligan discovered a deep connection with the Catholic faith. Raised under the Presbyterian banner on Scotland’s Ayrshire coast, he found lodgings run by a devout Catholic landlady, who introduced her new charge to the local Mass.