Whether you know it or not, there’s a good chance you know someone with autism. According to Autism Speaks, 1 in 68 children are affected by autism in one way or another. And what is more? the prevalence of autism is only increasing, it is actually the fastest growing developmental disorder in the united states, and, as it stands, there is no cure. those are some startling figures.
Because living with autism is not easy, one way that those who have been diagnosed can feel less alone is to see characters very much like them portrayed in the media. The good news is that we are seeing a greater number of characters from film, television and literature now landing proudly on the spectrum. It’s a very beautiful thing!
You are reading: Books with autistic characters
To celebrate the growing neurodiversity in fiction, I’ve rounded up 11 books that not only feature major characters with an official diagnosis on the autism spectrum, but also appear in plots that aren’t about their diagnosis. Hopefully there will be many more in the future!
mind blindness by jennifer roy
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14-year-old nathaniel clark belongs to two worlds: one is the outer world where he is forced to interact with others, while the second is his inner “aspie” world where he can surround himself with comforting mathematical formulas. Although he is called a genius thanks to his high IQ, Nathaniel knows that it takes more than that to truly be considered one, so he sets out on a quest to be worthy of the title.
the curious incident of the dog in the night by mark haddon
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For those hoping this will make the list, I refuse to disappoint. christopher john francis boone he knows all the countries in the world and their capitals, as well as all the prime numbers up to 7507, but his favorite thing to do is solve mysteries. When his neighbor’s dog ends up murdered, Christopher embarks on an adventure to find out who did it, only to discover devastating information that turns his entire world upside down.
the girl in the spider web by david lagercrantz
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See Also: 19 YA Plot Twists That We Never Saw Coming | Epic Reads
although mikael blomkvist wonders if lisbeth salander has asperger syndrome in the first book in the series, the girl with the dragon tattoo, this book is on the list thanks to august balder, a young man with autism non-verbally witnessing the brutal murder of his father. Realizing that he is the only one who can identify the killer and figure out the reason he was killed in the first place, Lisbeth teams up to protect the boy and find out what happened.
the speed of darkness by elizabeth moon
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In a world where all disease has been eradicated by the end of infancy, one unlucky generation does not reach the limit, preventing them from fully reaping the benefits of disease-eliminating technology. Lou Arreille is one of the last people in the world with autism, but she has managed to fit perfectly into society. When a new technological breakthrough offers him the chance to cure his own autism, Lou must decide whether or not he wants to remain himself, or completely change the way Lou thinks.
m is for autism by students at limpsfield grange school
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Remember when a group of girls with autism got together to write a book about autism? m is for autism features m, an autistic girl who just wants to fit in with the rest of the world, but constantly feels like she lives on another plane of existence from everyone else. Using real-life experiences, impressions, and non-traditional textures, this is possibly one of the best-researched autism novels out there, because these authors live it every day.
I, who plunged into the heart of the world by sabina berman
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Karen Nieto began her life as a wild child, left to wander the beach near her family’s tuna canning business, only to be discovered by her Aunt Isabelle when she arrives to save the failing business. Diagnosed as an autistic savant, Karen learns to thrive under the love of her aunt, and her life is turned upside down when it is discovered that her almost supernatural affinity for animals can be used to save the tuna plant by becoming the first human fishery in the world. the planet.
rubber neck by belinda bauer
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See Also: How to Read Elin Hilderbrand Books in Order | Ultimate Guide
patrick fort is a medical student with asperger’s, obsessed with the fate of the human soul when the body dies since the death of his father. Things go from challenging to dangerous when Patrick’s medical corpse begins to show signs that perhaps his death wasn’t necessarily natural, leading him into a murder mystery with more twists and turns than a roller coaster. /p>
nightingale by kathryn erskine
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caitlin is an 11 year old girl with asperger’s who is trapped in a world where everything is metaphorically black and white. When Ella’s brother Devon Ella dies, she doesn’t understand how to get over it, that is, until she reads the definition of “closure” in the dictionary and goes on a quest to accomplish just that. her on her journey, she realizes that real life is ten times more confusing than she could ever imagine.
the average life of the planets by emily franklin and brendan halpin
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Told in alternate chapters written by two already different authors, the average life of the planets focuses on the summer of a vine and a skein. Liana loves science and dreams of being a planetary scientist, but unfortunately she has a certain reputation due to her addiction to kissing. hank has asperger’s, loves music and sadly has never kissed anyone. Their lives change after a chance meeting in a women’s bathroom at a hospital. is a cute summer romance with a neurodiverse twist.
colin fischer by ashley edward miller and zack stentz
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When a gun goes off in the school cafeteria, it’s up to Colin Fischer to prove that it wasn’t Wayne Connelly (the school bully and Colin’s frequent tormentor) who brought her to school. Colin isn’t exactly your everyday teenage detective, he hates being touched, he hates the color blue and he needs tokens to understand facial expressions. More than just a mystery, this book follows the struggles of an autistic boy just trying to fit in during high school, and the unlikely friendship that develops as he attempts to clear Wayne’s name.
marcelo in the real world by francisco x. stork
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marcelo can listen to music that no one else can, and is diagnosed with pdd-nos spectrum disorder (pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified) because of it. Spending most of his life in a special school that has protected him from feeling too different, everything in Marcelo’s life seems to be going well, until the day his father demands that he enter the “real world” by working in the mail. room in his law firm. It’s here that Marcelo learns about petty jealousy and real-world competition, but it’s not until he finds a picture of a girl with half a face in a file that he realizes some things just aren’t fair.
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See Also: 10 Training and Development Books | EdApp Microlearning