Collection: Shop Disabled

'The lack of information around how ADHD and autism shows up in adults means that many of us have been assuming we were anxious, not working hard enough, or just entirely failing altogether.' - Jess Joy and Charlotte Mia

Written by two late-diagnosed neurodivergent women and the founders of fast-growing online community @IAmPayingAttention, HOW NOT TO FIT IN is an handbook-meets-rallying cry.

Foregrounding real experiences with autism and ADHD, this book explores the journey of discovering, accepting and flourishing with your neurodivergent brain. It explores why getting diagnosis can be so fraught and gendered, and how to navigate a world which centres neurotypical brains in the realms of relationships, careers, friendships and finances.

By reading this book, you'll:

• Start to understand why so many people are being diagnosed with ADHD and autism right now
• Learn the impact that not knowing your own brain can have on your mental health
• Find the confidence to ask for accommodations and adjustments at work - without apologising
• Have the chance to note down how this journey is evolving for you in chapter-by-chapter workbook sections.
• ... and, most importantly, get to know yourself and your needs better.

Featuring the latest research and thinking on neurodivergence, contributions from dozens of experts and the real stories of people just like you, this innovative book - which has been written and designed especially for *spicy* brains - is essential reading for anyone whose brain seems to see the world in a different way.

Help children understand their autism and thrive with this positive guide for kids ages 8 to 12

We all think differently. This notion is celebrated in Autism and Me, a guide that helps children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) gain a better understanding of how their brain works. The book highlights positive ASD traits while showing kids how they can work through some of its challenges as well.

Unlike some other autism books for kids, this guide offers:

• Awesome activities--Interactive exercises encourage kids to apply the concepts discussed in a fun, low-stakes way, from fill-in-the-blanks and multiple choice quizzes to drawing and coloring.

• Proven strategies--From improving communication skills to developing self-care habits, kids will find strategies to help them better navigate school, social functions, and family life.
• True stories--Each chapter begins with real life anecdotes, offering relatable experiences from others on the autism spectrum and helping kids feel less alone.

Kids will learn to manage emotions, make friends, and flourish with this strengths-based autism book.

Boy built a wall to keep himself safe. Behind it he felt strong and more protected. Then Someone Kind came along. She bounced a ball, sang and painted on the other side of the wall, and Boy began to wonder if life on the other side might be better after all.

Written for children aged 4 to 9, this gentle full-colour picture book uses a simple metaphor to explain how children who have had painful or traumatic experiences can build barriers between themselves and other people. It will help children explore their feelings and encourage communication.

Help kids with ASD thrive with interactive activities for building confidence and skills

Games and exercises are fun ways for kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to learn and grow. This standout among autism books for kids features 50 activities to help children regulate their emotions, communicate, and improve focus. Colorful and uplifting, this book empowers kids to build lifelong skills while celebrating their unique strengths and talents.

Go beyond other autism books for kids with exercises that:

• Make every day easier--These puzzles, quizzes, and coloring pages help kids understand autism and improve the skills they'll use in school and at home.
• Help develop skills and good habits--Activities like The Monkey Maze can help direct a child's attention from repetitive behaviors. And try Clay Play to help nonverbal children express themselves.
• Include tips for adults--Each exercise includes a tip for grown-ups that explains how it works and how they can encourage kids to try it out.

Kids will have a blast while developing abilities that help them succeed with this entry into autism books for kids.

A hot one-night stand--and an unexpected pregnancy--lead a young woman to someone she can depend on, from the viral TikTok author of Next of Kin and Next to You.

"A beautiful love story, full of joy from beginning to end!"--New York Times bestselling author Sarah Adams

Winnifred "Win" McNulty has always been wildly independent and not one to be coddled for her limb difference. Win has spent most of her life trying to prove that she can do it all on her own. With some minor adjustments, she's done just fine.

Hooking up at a costume party with the incredibly charming Bo changes everything. Win finds herself pregnant--and decides to keep the baby. While Bo is surprisingly elated to step up to the plate, Win is unsure of whether she can handle this new challenge.

Together, Win and Bo decide to get to know one another as friends and nothing more while they embark on this parenting journey together. But, as they both should know by now, life rarely goes according to plan.

In this companion to the enormously popular A Family Is a Family Is a Family, a group of kids share the silly questions they always hear, as well as the questions they would rather be asked about themselves.

Being the new kid is hard, a child in the school playground tells us. I can think of better things to ask than if I'm a boy or a girl. Another child comes along and says she gets asked why she always has her nose in a book. Someone else gets asked where they come from.

One after another, children share the questions they're tired of being asked again and again -- as opposed to what they believe are the most important or interesting things about themselves. As they move around the playground, picking up new friends along the way, there is a feeling of understanding and acceptance among them. And in the end, the new kid comes up with the question they would definitely all like to hear: "Hey kid, want to play?"

Sara O'Leary's thoughtful text and Qin Leng's expressive illustrations tell a story about children who are all different, all themselves, all just kids.

Key Text Features

dialogue

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6
Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.6
Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)

Melanie and Melvin may be twins, but they couldn't be more different.

Melanie is LOUD and Melvin is quiet. Melvin likes frogs and Melanie loves MOTORCYCLES! When the twins learn that they will get their very own mobility scooters, Melanie is excited to race to school, but Melvin is worried he'll fall -- and that people will stare. And there's a problem: Grandma can't afford the scooters without selling one of Mom's treasured paintings, one of the only things the twins have left to remember their parents.

In the process of getting their scooters, Melanie and Melvin have to navigate challenges that people with disabilities face on a daily basis: rudeness from a store clerk and products that aren't made with kids in mind. But in the end, Melanie and Melvin choose scooters that are just right for them and make moving through their neighborhood a new adventure.

Written by disability advocate and mobility scooter user Dorothy Ellen Palmer, and illustrated by Maria Sweeney, The Scooter Twins is an #ownvoices story that shares the joys and challenges of disabled childhood, and offers many kids who get new wheels the opportunity to find themselves in the pages of a book.

Key Text Features

illustrations

Correlates to the Common Core States Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3

Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3

Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).

This book, Headphones: A Book for Children with Autism & Sensory Disorders, introduces the concept of wearing headphones. It was written to help children with autism & sensory disorders feel comfortable and confident in their new headphones, and to help their friends, siblings, and classmates relate to their sensory differences.

The book begins in a social story type format, to help children remember what to do when their environment gets too loud. Throughout the book, a cute rhyme is repeated and can be easily memorized. This will allow children to remember to use their headphones in loud environments, rather than resorting to unwanted behaviors. The author shows several types of headphones, and encourages children to help select their own headphones, and choose headphones that they will like. The author explains how loud environments may feel to a person with autism or sensory disorders. Finally, the author points out several appropriate locations where headphones can be worn, and reminds the reader that they can wear headphones anywhere.

The author/illustrator also showcases several different types of headphones, big and small, as well as several different colors. The children illustrated in the book all look different, in the hopes that each child can find a character they can relate to.

The book was written and illustrated with inclusion in mind. The author hopes that this book will be utilized in preschool and elementary school classrooms, as well as libraries, and in homes.

It is the perfect book to purchase for a child who is just beginning to wear headphones, and was written for the author's preschool-age son with autism.

"Sometimes it's too loud, but I know what to do! I put my headphones on my ears, and noise does not get through."

Award-winning author Cat Patrick returns with a charming tale full of first crushes and new friendships, as one girl learns a little more about who she is and who she wants to be all while on the road trip of lifetime.

It's the summer of 1985, when air guitar, jelly bracelets, and huge hair are all the rage, and twelve-year-old Stevie is finally old enough to go on her performing troupe's annual cross-country tour. Twenty-six teen cast members will lip-synch and dance their way through more than twenty cities, and Stevie and her best friend, Wes, can't wait--for more reasons than one!

'NO' is Rico's least favorite word . . . and he tries his best to convince his dad, his mom, and his teacher to turn "No" into "Maybe" or "We'll see" or "Later" or "I'll think about it." Even though he doesn't have much success, Rico keeps arguing until his teacher suggests that he try to join her classroom's Say YES to NO Club. If Rico can learn how to accept "No" for an answer and to disagree appropriately with his teacher and parents, he can add his name to the club's Star Board. Rico finds that lots of praise and some rewards come his way when he uses these skills the right way!

Author Julia Cook helps K-6 readers laugh and learn along with Rico as he understands the benefits of demonstrating these social skills both at home and in school. Each colorfully illustrated page includes both the Spanish and English text. Great to use with children in grades K-6 who are learning to speak and read either language.

When a child starts life in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), they look so little, so vulnerable. But with mom and medical professionals close by, soon fewer and fewer machines are beeping away. Before long, mother and child get to go home and start their life together outside of the hospital.

No one expects their child to end up in the NICU, and when they do it can be an isolating experience. This experience, still, gives them unexpected time together, in the quiet. This book celebrates those tender moments, acknowledging the fear while also embracing the beauty of every child who's born into the world. It is a book of hopeful reflection, sharing the details of the NICU experience.

The Adventures of Marshmallow and Peter is a heartwarming story of hope and resilience in the face of adversity.

Meet Peter Heath, a seven-year-old, who loves soccer, LEGOs, karate, and the outdoors. He's a typical second-grader, except for one thing: Peter is fully blind. After being diagnosed with Batten disease, a rare genetic disorder, Peter lost his vision completely in the spring of 2022. But this didn't stop him from writing his own book, "The Adventures of Marshmallow and Peter," a short children's book written from the point of view of his cane, Marshmallow.

Join Peter on his incredible journey as he uses his determination and imagination to make his dreams come true. The Heaths are saving half of the book's proceeds for Peter, while the other half is going to the Batten Disease Support & Research Association.

What a bad day! Jake has a terrible day at school.

I try to open my milk. SPLASH!

After lunch, I struggle with the computer mouse.

SWERVE! SWIVEL! SHAKE!

The afternoon with Gramma doesn't start out much better.

Playing video games helps me relax. I try to hold the controller still...

SHAKE! JUGGLE! JIGGLE! JUMP!

I drop the controller and punch the pillow beside me.

But Gramma has other plans.

Gramma hugs me. "Let's make cookies!"

"Turn up the music, Jake. I love this song!"

I giggle as Gramma limps into a jig.

SHAKE! SASHAY! SHIMMY!

Sometimes his Essential Tremor overwhelms Jake. An afternoon with Gramma in "Shaky Quaky Jake" gives him a chance to regroup. The compassionate relationship between Jake and Gramma is heartwarming, and children learn a lot about how struggling with a disability can still lead to a better day...tomorrow.

TIMELESS TOPIC: Classic with the wisdom of a grandparent but with a fresh look at a little-known disability, this book touches on truly universal topics. Kindness, acceptance, inclusion, and imagination are front and center as the main character struggles to find his place in his classroom and, ultimately, life.

READ ALOUD: This picture book is perfect for read aloud occasions, bedtime, or any moment a kid needs cheering up and being reminded with perseverance and imagination, you can solve any problem and thinking outside of the box can be the answer if you are not afraid to step into

the unknown and just do it!

SELF-RELIANCE: This book also emphasizes the value of remaining positive in facing life's various difficulties. You can be upset and still be a regular person; you can have a bad day with all the entailing emotions.

REASSURANCE: Perfect for kids who are nervous about their struggles with a disability and any child who has less-than-ideal moments in life. The best we can do is keep trying!

EDUCATIONAL INFO INCLUDED: A note from the author tells a little about Essential Tremor. And a bonus list of how to RESPECT others is included in the back of the book.

Perfect for:

• A read-aloud option for parents, teachers, and librarians looking at books about overcoming adversity and persistence in everyday life
• Reassuring book for kids who experience anxiety or struggle to get through bad days
• Fans of books that celebrate big feelings and triumphs in everyday life

This beautiful coming-of-age story captures one young Powhatan boy's road to truly finding himself.

No matter how hard he tries, nearsighted Walnut just can't earn his adult name the way other boys do, by hitting a target with a bow and arrow. With his highly developed other senses, however, he shows he can "see what can't be seen" and earns a new name: Sees Behind Trees. But his special skill proves to be more important than he'd ever imagined when is invited to go on a journey to a mysterious land, a trek filled with unforeseen challenges and dangers.

Told with heart, this is a lyrical novel about an Indigenous boy searching for his place amongst his community.

"Set in 16th century America, this richly imagined and gorgeously written rite-of-passage story has the gravity of legend." --Booklist, starred

A School Library Journal Best Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Book
A Book Links Best Book

Thomas K. Holcomb's highly successful textbook on Deaf culture has been fully revised and updated in this second edition. The changes reflect those in the field and include three new chapters focusing on the impact of technology on the Deaf experience, the roles of allies in supporting the Deaf community, and the diversity that exists in the Deaf community. Also new to this edition is an ASL summary of each chapter, making the book accessible in two languages that are important in the Deaf community, ASL and English.

The book provides a broad yet in-depth exploration of how Deaf people are best understood from a cultural perspective. It explores the tension between the Deaf and disabled communities, the cultural norms of the Deaf community, Deaf art and literature, the solutions being offered by the medical and Deaf communities for effective living as Deaf individuals, and an analysis of the universality of the Deaf experience. As a member of a multigenerational Deaf family with a lifetime of experience living bi-culturally among Deaf and hearing people, author Thomas K. Holcomb enhances the academic discussions with engaging stories and the poetry and art of Deaf individuals.

In addition to being used in college-level courses, this book can also help parents and educators of Deaf children understand the world of Deaf culture. It offers a beautiful introduction to the ways Deaf people effectively manage their lives in a world full of people who hear.

"Be bold! Be brave! Let you be you... and let's help others, too!"

That's Ada's motto.

Ada is a dancing, deaf fox with cochlear implants who loves to help others. On her way to dance in a talent show one day, she meets three other creatures who are each facing a physical challenge of their own. She decides to help each of her new friends to see past their challenges and discover their natural, God-given strengths. But can they help her in return? Ada's a bit nervous about the talent show!

Will she be able to hear the music clearly?

Will everyone laugh at her?

Pick up a copy of Ada and the Helpers today and follow Ada and her new friends on an exciting new adventure that inspires friendship, helping others, inclusion, and finding your strengths. Plus, your child can learn the ASL alphabet at the same time! The rhyming nature of the story is welcoming for hearing kids, but is especially helpful for young children who are hard-of-hearing.

As an adult, you'll love the surprise ending that brings all the nostalgic feels for your inner 80's child!

This children's book comes with some special features, including:

• One word spelled out on each spread of the story (14 in all) using the American Sign Language alphabet in diverse skin tones so that you can help your child practice learning the ASL alphabet and begin fingerspelling.

• An ASL alphabet chart in the back of the book. By the way, the hardcover edition has a double-sided dust jacket that also serves as an American sign language alphabet poster, perfect for hanging in your child's bedroom or in the classroom!

• The book also introduces three of the ling sounds used in the Ling Six Sound Test, which is used to help audiologists, special educators or teachers of the deaf, and parents or hard-of-hearing children assess whether or not the child can hear and recognize the full range of vocal sound. By helping your child associate these phonics with the characters in the book, it becomes easier for you to practice these sounds with them.

Masterfully illustrated by fine artist Melissa Fischer, Ada and the Helpers is a beautiful book that your child will want to read over and over again. Whether they are deaf or hard-of-hearing and use hearing aids or cochlear implants to assist them, or you simply want to introduce the concept of sign language to your hearing children, Ada and her friends will be instant favorites in your household or classroom!