The Ultimate* Autism Resource Guide!

*this is a non-exhaustive list

*I also made this list in 2021, so some of these things may not exist anymore or may be otherwise outdated. If you want more updated media representation recs, check out my media analysis series or my updated disability rec list by category

YouTube

Music!

I also curated an #ActuallyAutistic playlist on Spotify made of entirely autistic musicians/artists which you can listen to here

Movies, Talks, & Shows

(more extensive & updated list linked in my media reviews tab)

  • Tony Attwood’s talk

  • Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (on Hulu)

  • The Reason I Jump

  • I Am Greta (on Hulu)

  • Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (on Netflix) - it’s a comedy special. And it’s awesome

  • Crip Camp (on Netflix) - not specifically about autism, but it’s disability-related and it’s great

  • La Meglio gioventù - if you’re an Italian speaker (or not, subtitles are a thing!) Giorgia is one of the best portrayals of an autistic person I have ever seen. Not to mention that the entire film is 6 hours long which means there is a lot of content

  • Meet Julia (on Sesame Street) - note that she is now funded by A$, but she was originally funded by ASAN so the earlier stuff is great representation, especially for kids

  • Loop (on Disney+) - this is an animated short about (& played by) a nonspeaking autistic girl

Books

(more extensive & updated list linked in my media reviews tab)

Nonfiction

History

  • NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman

  • Asperger’s Children by Edith Sheffer

  • In A Different Key by Caren Zucker and John Donvan

Experience

  • The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida

  • Autism in Heels by Jennifer Cook O’Toole

  • Sisterhood of the Spectrum by Jennifer Cook O’Toole

  • The Asperkid's (Secret) Book of Social Rules by Jennifer Cook O’Toole

  • Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: A Comedian's Guide to Life on the Spectrum by Michael McCreary

  • Loud Hands by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network

  • All The Weight of Our Dreams: On Living Racialized Autism by the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network

  • Not Even Wrong by Paul Collins

  • Stim: An Autistic Anthology edited by Lizzie Huxley Jones

  • Sincerely, Your Autistic Child - anthology by the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network

Fiction

Picture Books

  • All My Stripes by Shaina Rudolph

  • Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

  • Lena’s Shoes Are Nervous by Keith Calabrese & Juana Medina

  • Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco

  • A Friend Like Simon by Katie Gaynor

  • All About My Brother by Sarah Peralta

  • My Brother Otto by Meg Raby

Chapter books

  • A Kind Of Spark by Elle McNicoll

  • Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll

  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

  • Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

  • Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

  • Counting By 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

  • Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

  • Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko