by Dr Judy Eaton

Autism presents in a multitude of different and highly nuanced ways – particularly as it intersects with variance in class, gender, race and age.

Misunderstanding and misinformation around variant and differing presentations means that misdiagnosed individuals and those who do not receive a diagnosis at all are often failed by medical, education, social care and criminal justice systems. They are detained in inappropriate settings; don’t receive beneficial therapeutic input; have their families accused of fabricated or induced illness (FII); are kept in prison or youth offending institutions longer than their original tariffs, and shockingly their life expectancy is often curtailed as a result.

This comprehensive resource will help multidisciplinary professions to understand, contextualise, and better identify diverse autistic presentations. It includes an overview of the autism diagnostic process, an exploration of controversial and commonly confused diagnoses such as PDA, ODD, CD, ASPD, and BPD; discussions of best practice for investigating FII; and analysis of the specific challenges of autism diagnosis in relation to women and girls, BAME communities, schools, and the criminal justice system.

by Dr Judy Eaton

This book addresses the specific mental health needs of girls and young women with autism spectrum disorder (Autism). Looking at the ways autism presents differently in girls than in boys, and the mental health conditions that occur most frequently in girls with Autism, this is the essential guide for clinicians and educators on tailoring interventions and support to meet girls’ needs.

Describing the current assessment process for autism diagnosis, the book explains why girls are under- or mis-diagnosed, leading to later mental health issues. It outlines the types of intervention that are particularly helpful for working with girls to reduce anxiety, improve social interaction skills, and manage self-harm. The book also covers how to manage eating disorders and feeding difficulties, focusing on working with girls with sensory processing difficulties. There is advice on how to deal with the emotional impact on parents, carers and families, and the challenges they face when negotiating appropriate psychological and educational support.

by Cathy Wassell

by Judith Hebron and Caroline Bond

Addressing the gender gap in the understanding of autism, this multi-perspective book explores the educational needs of girls on the autism spectrum from early years to secondary school, in both mainstream and special settings. The collection, comprising insights from autistic women and girls and educational and medical professionals makes recommendations for a collaborative and integrated approach that enables girls on the spectrum to reach their full potential. By establishing close collaborations between girls on the spectrum, their parents, teachers and specialist professionals, the field can move forwards in terms of providing understanding and an appropriate educational framework for success.

This book also includes a chapter written by Dr Judy Eaton titled – “A Clinical Psychology Perspective of the Experiences and Mental Health Challenges of Girls With Autism.”

by Sophie J Leman

A selection of poems written by an autistic mind. Different ways of thinking and an insight to a bored mind with a life from a different planet. Some riddles, mostly ideas and chains of thought. Philosophical ideas questioned and a taste of life from a different perspective.

Raising awareness and acceptance of autism with #boredplanet through questions, art and alternative ways.

Start the discussion and question my words.

by Ruth Fidler and Julia Daunt

by Bill Nason

The Autism Discussion Page green book covers anxiety and stress, challenging behaviours, stretching comfort zones, discipline, and school issues. It also provides more general teaching and mentoring strategies for coaching children on the autism spectrum in basic daily living strategies to improve their day-to-day lives.

Based on posts on the popular online community page and organised by subject for ease of reference, this book offers an excellent understanding of how children with autism process and experience the world and effective strategies for coping with the challenges.

by Bill Nason

The Autism Discussion Page blue book focuses on the core challenges associated with autism (cognitive, sensory, social, and emotional) and provides concise, accessible information and simple tools for supporting children with these vulnerabilities. Based on posts on the popular online community page and organised by subject for ease of reference, this book offers an excellent understanding of how children with autism process and experience the world and effective strategies for coping with the challenges.

by Bill Nason

Anxiety, meltdowns and emotional regulation can be hugely challenging for autistic people. This book is full of proactive strategies for understanding, accepting, and respecting the processing differences in autism. It contains tools for reducing sensory, social, and mental drain, and offers strategies to protect from ongoing stress and anxiety. These help minimise shutdowns and burnout, while maximising self-esteem, autistic identity and mental health.

Learn strategies for matching environmental demands to the person’s processing needs, how to support vulnerabilities, and how to prevent and manage meltdowns while protecting the identify and self-esteem of the individual with autism.

by Ruth Fidler and Phil Christie

Meet Issy – an 11-year-old girl with pathological demand avoidance syndrome (PDA), a condition on the autism spectrum. Issy invites readers to learn about PDA from her perspective, helping them to understand how simple, everyday demands can cause her great anxiety and stress. Issy tells readers about all the ways she can be helped and supported by those around her.

This illustrated book is for readers aged 7 and upwards, and will be an excellent way to increase understanding about PDA in the classroom or at home. It also includes practical tips and recommended resources for parents and professionals.

by Jane Sherwin

After years of misdiagnosis, Jane’s daughter, Mollie, was diagnosed with PDA at the age of seven, and we follow her experiences pre and post diagnosis to age 10 as she attends school, interacts with the outside world and approaches adolescence. Throughout, Jane provides commentary on her daughter’s behaviour and the impact it has on her family, explaining the ‘why’ of PDA traits, including the need for control, meltdowns, obsessive behaviour and sensory issues.

Full of advice and support, and with a focus on understanding the child and how he or she sees the world, this book will be of immeasurable value to the parents and families of children with PDA as well as the professionals working with them, particularly teachers and teaching assistants, SEN co-ordinators, psychologists, outreach workers and social workers.

by Phil Christie, Margaret Duncan, Zara Healy and Ruth Fidler

This straightforward guide offers a complete overview of Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDA) and gives practical advice for overcoming the difficulties it poses in a wide range of contexts from diagnosis through to adulthood. Starting with an exploration into the background of PDA that answers many of the immediate questions triggered when a child is first diagnosed, the book goes on to look at the impact of the condition on different areas of the child’s life and what can be done to help. The authors present useful information on early intervention options and workable strategies for managing PDA positively on a day-to-day basis.

They also examine ways to minimize common difficulties that may be encountered at home and school, making life easier for the child, family and peers. The final chapters tackle new problems that can arise when the teenage years hit and how to assist a successful transition from adolescence to adulthood. Illustrative case examples are included throughout, and the book concludes with a list of valuable resources for further information and advice. Full of helpful guidance and support, this user-friendly introductory handbook is essential reading for anyone caring for, or working with, children with PDA.

 by Eliane Whitehouse and Warwick Pudney

A Volcano in My Tummy: Helping Children to Handle Anger presents a clear and effective approach to helping children and adults alike understand and deal constructively with children’s anger. Using easy to understand yet rarely taught skills for anger management, including how to teach communication of emotions, A Volcano in My Tummy offers engaging, well-organized activities which help to overcome the fear of children’s anger which many adult care-givers experience. By carefully distinguishing between anger the feeling, and violence the behaviour, this accessible book, primarily created for ages six to thirteen, helps to create an awareness of anger, enabling children to relate creatively and harmoniously at critical stages in their development.

Through activities, stories, articles, and games designed to allow a multi-subject, developmental approach to the topic at home and in school, A Volcano in My Tummy gives us the tools we need to put aside our problems with this all-too-often destructive emotion, and to have fun while we’re at it.

by K.I. Al-Ghani

After years of misdiagnosis, Jane’s daughter, Mollie, was diagnosed with PDA at the age of seven, and we follow her experiences pre and post diagnosis to age 10 as she attends school, interacts with the outside world and approaches adolescence. Throughout, Jane provides commentary on her daughter’s behaviour and the impact it has on her family, explaining the ‘why’ of PDA traits, including the need for control, meltdowns, obsessive behaviour and sensory issues.

Full of advice and support, and with a focus on understanding the child and how he or she sees the world, this book will be of immeasurable value to the parents and families of children with PDA as well as the professionals working with them, particularly teachers and teaching assistants, SEN co-ordinators, psychologists, outreach workers and social workers.

by Kari Dunn Buron and Mitzi Curtis

This much-awaited second edition of the popular Incredible 5-Point Scale is, as the title suggests, significantly improved and expanded.

Using the same practical and user-friendly format as the first edition, Buron and Curtis let readers benefit from work done with the scales over the past 10 years, to result in refinements to the original scales, now considered classics in homes and classrooms across the country and abroad, as well as lots of new scales specifically designed for two groups of individuals: young children and those with more classic presentations of autism, including expanded use of the Anxiety Curve. Another welcome addition is a list of goals and objectives related to incorporating scales in students IEPs

 by Alis Rowe

My family have known me my entire life.
They have been by my side at the doctor’s.
They have brought me out of shutdowns.
They have supported me through depression.

Yet, despite being a part of all of these things, they still don’t really know what it’s like being me, having Asperger’s Syndrome.

So I wrote this book.

The hardest thing about having Asperger’s Syndrome is that it can seem like an invisible condition. Females in particular, can be expert at masking their symptoms. Tomorrow I will get up and leave the house, go into work and get on with things, my challenges totally oblivious to the people around me. The next day will be the same. And the day after.

I hope this book will build the bridge between people with Asperger’s Syndrome and the rest of the world. Most people with Asperger’s Syndrome are able and willing to work and live a “normal” life, with the right support and adjustment. The main problem is that most people are just unaware of how they can help.

So, let us begin our journey into the wearing but wonderful world that is . . . Asperger’s Syndrome.

by Paul Stallard

Think Good ― Feel Good is an exciting and pioneering new practical resource in print and on the internet for undertaking CBT with children and young people. The materials have been developed by the author and trialled extensively in clinical work with children and young people presenting with a range of psychological problems.

Paul Stallard introduces his resource by covering the basic theory and rationale behind CBT and how the workbook should be used. An attractive and lively workbook follows which covers the core elements used in CBT programmes but conveys these ideas to children and young people in an understandable way and uses real life examples familiar to them. The concepts introduced to the children can be applied to their own unique set of problems through the series of practical exercises and worksheets.

by Paul Stallard

This is a companion guide to Think Good Feel Good: A Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Workbook for Children and Young People. Designed for clinicians using the original workbook in their work with children, the book builds upon the workbook materials by offering guidance on all aspects of the therapeutic process and a range of case studies highlighting therapy in action. Topics covered include parent involvement, key cognitive distortions in children, formulations, challenging thoughts, guided discovery and the use of imagery. Also included is a chapter focusing on possible problems in therapy and strategies for overcoming them.

To supplement the workbook, the clinician′s guide offers further materials and handouts for use in therapy, including psycho–educational materials for children and parents on common problems, such as depression, OCD, PTSD/Trauma and Anxiety.

by Laurie Seiler

Cool Connections is a fun, engaging workbook that provides a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach to positively modifying the everyday thoughts and behaviours of children and young people aged 9 to 14. Combining a summary of CBT principles and step-by-step guidelines on how to use the materials appropriately with a mixture of games, handouts, home activities and therapeutic exercises, “Cool Connections” is designed to encourage resilience and self-esteem and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.

Fully photocopiable, fully illustrated and easy to use, this structured workbook is an effective tool for professionals working to improve the general well-being of children and young people, including psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, social workers, and child and adolescent mental health services, as well as professionals in residential care settings and educational professionals in child/youth services.

by Carol Gray

Since the early 90s, Carol Gray’s world-famous Social Stories have helped thousands of children with autism spectrum disorders. This 15th Anniversary Edition of her best-selling book offers over 180 ready-to-use stories that parents and educators have depended on for years, and new sections added are: How to most effectively use and apply the stories; How to improve the lives of younger children; and Social Stories for teens and adults with autism.

Developed through years of experience, these strategically written stories explain social situations in ways children and adults with autism understand, while teaching social skills needed for them to be successful at home, school, work, and in the community.

by Glòria Durà-Vilà and Tamar Levi

This beautifully illustrated guide helps young people with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) to understand their diagnosis, develop self-awareness and implement their own personalised problem-solving strategies. Written in consultation with young people with PDA and their families, this book recognises the importance of handing control back to the young person, and that there is no one-size-fits-all PDA profile. Readers are encouraged to engage throughout with interactive writing, doodling and checklist exercises to explore their own particular characteristics, strengths and challenges.

Me and My PDA is sensitively tailored to the needs and experiences of young people (aged 10+) with PDA. The guide is designed to grow with the reader, and can be used for many years as the young person develops and changes – making it invaluable to PDA-diagnosed individuals and their families.

by Jodie Isitt

Imagine a life where we need not explain. A life where kids are happy not being the same. My name is Jodie Isitt, and this is my dream. We NEED to teach children about disabilities, and this beautifully written and illustrated story book does just that and more. In fact, it has proven to not only help children who are not neuro-divergent to understand those who are, but it has also helped autistic children understand themselves! This has lead to them being able to start communicating their feelings to their parents and caregivers.

Parents were overwhelmed when their children started communicating to them their worries and feelings when previously they had never done this before. Autism is increasingly being seen in the public eye, and talked about in the media, but there is still a gap in teaching other children why some things are difficult for little ones like Lola (the main character within my stories), and how they can help and understand without compromising their own mental well-being. With cuts across the education system, it’s impossible for children to learn everything about the wider community, but even if we can’t teach our children in lessons, we can do so through the art of storytelling; and that’s what Autism with Love is all about. At the heart of the brand is Lola Rabbit (based on my daughter, Lola), along with a group of cute, but meaningful, woodland animals.

These characters provide children with learning resources and give them knowledge that is desperately needed in order to understand and accept differences. They do so by taking the reader on an educational journey embracing differences and showing kindness.