5 Books by Autistic Authors that Everyone Should Read

By: Savannah DeVore

April is Disability Awareness Month and April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day. Let’s celebrate by reading books about Autism Spectrum. 

1. Different Not Less by Chloe Hayden

Chloe Hayden is an Australian author, actress, and proud advocate for the disabled community. She wrote a memoir entitled Different Not Less: A Neurodivergent's  Guide to Embracing Your True Self and Living Happily Ever After. Hayden proudly shares her experiences growing up and how she gained her autism diagnosis. She also gives advice to those who are on the spectrum and allies of the neurodivergent community. I have read the book twice now and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the experiences of someone on the spectrum. 

2. Funny You Don’t Look Autistic by Michael McCreary

Michael McCreary is a Canadian comedian who proudly makes jokes about being on the spectrum. As someone who is autistic, McCreary draws his comedy from his own life experiences and complied them into an hilarious yet informative book. 

3. But You Don’t Look Autistic At All by Bianca Toeps 

Bianca Toeps is an autistic author who writes a fascinating memoir and informative about her life as an individual on the spectrum and gives voices to others on their spectrum and what their experiences are like. Toeps discusses what science has to say about Autism, conducts interviews with autistic individuals, and tells her own story. 

4. What I Mean When I say I’m Autistic: Unpuzzling a Life on the Autism Spectrum by Annie Kotowicz 

Annie Kotowicz is an author on the autism spectrum who proudly writes about her life on the autism spectrum and what others who may not be on the spectrum should know in order to become better disability allies. 

5. Creating our Own Lives: College Students with Intellectual Disability edited by Michael Gills and Beth Myers

This book is edited by Michael Gills and Beth Myers, but it is written by students who have disabilities. The disabilities vary from Autism Spectrum Disorder to Down Syndrome. The book tells the stories of those students who have a disability, but also went to college. The book features a story from our very own Jake Miller. His chapter is written with support from a Life Prep Mentor. It’s nice to hear about college students with intellectual disabilities because it destroys the myth that people with intellectual disabilities can’t go to college or pursue higher education degrees.