Bundle up! The Polar Vortex is here! What better time to stay indoors and cuddle up with a good book? Enabling Devices has got your back with this updated list of highly rated fiction and nonfiction titles on a range of disabilities-related topics for readers of all ages and abilities.
Adult
“Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum” (Hardcover)
By Jennifer O’Toole, Skyhorse, 272 pages, $16.99
Girls with autism often present differently than boys with the developmental disorder. For that reason, they often wait years for a diagnosis. That was the case with author Jennifer O’Toole who was diagnosed with ASD at age 35. In her new book, O’Toole shares what life is like for a girl and woman with autism and how learning she had ASD changed her life.
“Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World” (Hardcover and audiobook)
by Deborah Reber, Brilliance Audio, $18.32; audiobook, $14.99 Available 2/19/19.
One in five children born today are neuro-atypical. The mother of a son with ADHD and Asperger’s who is also highly gifted, Reber offers this “how to” manual on creating new and positive paradigms that helps parents to parent exceptional children exceptionally.
“Forever Parenting: Voices of Parents of Adults with Special Needs” (Paperback)
By Rosemarie Scotti Hughes, Ph.D., (Westview Press), 144 pages, $11.99
What lies ahead for children with disabilities when they cross the threshold into adulthood? How can their parents ease the way? In this 2018 book, Scotti Hughes, the parent of an adult child with intellectual disabilities, shares her experiences as well as the experiences of other parents with children with special needs, as they advocate for their adult children. Full of wisdom, hope and help, “Forever Parenting” provides a map for navigating the complex journey ahead.
Young Adult
“A Curse So Dark and Lonely” (Hardcover)
By Brigid Kemmerer, Bloomsbury YA, 496 pages, $12.91
A contemporary retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” this new novel’s brave heroine doesn’t let cerebral palsy stand in her way.
“This is not a Love Scene” (Hardcover, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac)
by S.C. Megale, (St. Martin’s Press), 288 pages, $18.99. Due out May 7
A talented young filmmaker with many strengths, Maeve’s rare form of muscular dystrophy tends to stand in the way of romantic prospects. But when she meets Cole Smith, the two discover an undeniable attraction that changes her outlook and her self-image.
 Children’s
“Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship” (Hardcover),
By Jessica Kensky, Patrick Downes and illustrated by Scott Magoon. (Candlewick), 32 pages, $15.29, K-4th grade
Based on a true story, this highly rated picture book teaches children about the deep love and devotion that develops between a young girl and her service dog.
“Jolly Molly Dolly”(Paperback)
By Julia Kay O’Connor, (self-published), 24 pages, $6.34
Written in rhyme, “Jolly Molly Dolly,” is the story of the school therapy doll at the special needs school where the author works. O’Connor’s sweet story endeavors to familiarize children with and without disabilities with the equipment used by children at her special needs school. O’Connor’s aim? To make these mobility devices less scary for the children who use them and for their mainstreamed classmates.
Happy reading and stay warm!
