Read with your children to educate them about developmental disabilities and other special needs. Here’s a list of children’s books aimed at early readers (5-8 years old). This can help your kids better understand others or if they want to read about a person just like them.
A Dragon With ADHD
By Steve Herman
This delightful book in rhymes is about a young boy named Drew who has a pet dragon named Diggory Doo. Like many kids with ADHD, Diggory Doo has difficulties regulating his emotions, sitting still when he’s supposed to, knowing when to talk and when to be quiet, and staying focused and organized. Readers will learn simple but powerful techniques to deal with these and other behaviors. This book is part of a 68-book series called “My Dragon Books.” Other titles in the series teach kids about conflict resolution, kindness and how to make new friends, among many other important topics.
Masterpiece
By Alexandra Hoffman
This book follows a young boy named Samuel who has autism. Samuel loves the color blue and everything in his life – from his bedroom to his stuffed animals to his clothes—are all blue. When a teacher gives him and the other kids the assignment of drawing themselves and their families playing together outside—using lots of color—Samuel draws the most amazing picture with every shade of blue imaginable. This beautifully illustrated book teaches kids that seeing the world in a unique way can be a source of incredible creativity.
Xander’s Cerebral Palsy Superpowers
By Lori Yarborough
Xander, the main character in this well-written book, is described as a superhero because he has to work much harder than other kids to accomplish regular tasks like putting on his shoes or communicating with others. The book teaches kids about the four kinds of cerebral palsy and their causes, and the various body parts that this condition impacts.
Katie Can: A Story About Special Needs
By Erin Palmer
This easy-to-read and well-illustrated book is about Katie, a young girl with Down syndrome. Readers experience Katie engaging in activities like going shopping with her mom, interacting with teachers and other kids at school, and being put to bed at night by her parents. This book is designed to inspire conversations between parents and kids. At the very end of it are various discussion prompts about Katie’s life. It’s part of a six-part series called “Changes and Challenges in My Life.” Other titles in the series deal with issues like the difficulties of moving to a different place and making new friends.
Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion
By Shannon Stocker
It follows Evelyn Glennie, who started losing her hearing at the age of 8 and eventually ended up completely deaf. Despite this, she still managed to become a world-renowned solo percussionist. A musical prodigy, Evelyn taught herself how to “hear” the music she was creating by letting it resonate throughout her body. Evelyn Glennie had learned how to listen in a new way. And soon, the world was listening too.
Brilliant Bea
By Shaina Rudolph and Mary Vukadinovich
“While the rest of the kids in Room 11 were lined up for recess, I was stuck finishing my work again. I was stucker than stuck. Stuck in Stucksville. Population: 1.” Thus begins this humorous book about Beatrice (or Bea for short), a young girl who has dyslexia and difficulties with reading and writing. With the help of a compassionate teacher who lends her a tape recorder to record her thoughts, Bea proves to herself and her classmates that she is indeed a great learner. Readers will experience not only what it’s like to have a learning disability, but also appreciate that there are other ways to learn in addition to reading and writing.
Some Kids Use Wheelchairs
By Lola Schaefer
This book demystifies for young readers why some kids need wheelchairs to get around. Even more importantly, it emphasizes all the ordinary things that kids in wheelchairs can do, like playing sports and going to camp. The simple but informative text is accompanied by photos of kids in wheelchairs going about their daily lives. The book is part of a five-book series called “Understanding Differences.” Other titles in the series are about kids who are blind or deaf, have autism, or wear leg braces.
Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille
By Jen Bryant
This informative book is about the young Louis Braille who, at the age of 3 was blinded in one eye during an accident, which eventually led to an infection that left him completely without sight by the age of 5. Louis went on to invent braille, the tactile alphabet commonly used by the visually impaired across the globe. The six dots in the book’s title refer to the six raised dots that, combined in different ways, make up braille. Readers learn the importance of perseverance against all odds.
We Want to Go to School! The Fight for Disability Rights
By Maryann Cocca-Leffler
This important book explains that there was a time not too long ago, in the early 1970s, when many kids with special needs either weren’t allowed to go to public school or had to be home-schooled. If they were able to attend public school, they received a lesser education than kids without disabilities. The book details the fascinating story behind the landmark case of Mills vs. Board of Education of the District of Columbia that led to equality for special needs kids.
Tanni Haas, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Communication Arts, Sciences, and Disorders at the City University of New York – Brooklyn College.