As someone who works as a teacher with students who have Autism, as well as someone very interested in learning American Sign Language (ASL), I was really excited to read A is for Autism by Dani Haendiges. Each letter stands for another word that describes the author's experience with their son who has a diagnosis of Autism. It's written in a fun way, telling us about this child, but also in a very informative way. Through the alphabet, we learn about neurodivergence, sensory input, the need for routine, etc. It really helped put some things into easy to understand terms that made more sense to me than things I've learned before, even though I've been trained in working with Autism. This book is written in such a respectful way that truly shows that people with Autism are amazing individuals who just experience the world differently than neurotypicals.

This is an informative book with a personal slant on autism. It's easy to read and provides insight. I liked the bright illustrations but sometimes they were hard to read, which spoilt their effect.

I requested this book as the mom of a non verbal child with several developmental delays as well as severe sensory delays. My 2 year old is suspected to be on the spectrum but this book is great for any parents that have children with speech delays or other restrictive communication-just because they aren't talking, doesn't mean they have nothing to say! This was a little difficult to follow on my phone, and my 2 year old was not impressed nor the least bit interested in the book or learning sign language but my 4 year old thought it was pretty neat. I think if we had this in regular book format that would make it a lot easier to follow-I will possibly check this out from my local library and give it another try.

I love the concept and idea behind this book. I'm not sure how well it works as a children's book, it's very wordy and long. I'd consider this more an educational book for parents. It just isn't age appropriate for children's fiction. I definitely think there could have been two versions of this. A shorter, simplified version for children, that would have been wonderful.

It's an interesting concept to include ASL as part of the alphabet book format. Getting the balance right on an introduction to any identity can be difficult, autism notwithstanding. This book took a fair shot at it, and will helpfully hope create some allies for kids who need tailored care.

This is a comprehensive and engaging guide to understanding autism. I love how the book is told through letters of the alphabet and its personal touch. Not only do we learn more about how those with autism see the world, their behaviour and the perspectives of a caregiver, we also get to know Ollie better. Overall, this is an insightful resource and heartwarming tribute that will enrich communication with children.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

A is for Autism is a book teaching the reader about autism and ASL (American Sign Language). This book was written by a mother of a child with autism and is such a wonderful and heartwarming read that shows how much this mother loves her son!
Each letter of the alphabet is shown from A-Z and each letter is accompanied by a word. This word is then shown in ASL illustrations and then the word is explained as to how it fits Ollie (her son) and his life living with autism.
I loved how the author explains how Ollies life is experienced differently to garner more awareness, such as how autistic children don't always understand jokes/sarcasm/facial expressions and take things they hear literally not figuratively.
This book is a must for all childcare practitioners and for anyone interested in ASL or learning more about the amazing children who have autism.

This alphabet book was written from the perspective of a mother trying to educate the reader about the particulars of her son’s autism. While this book was written with a very specific child in mind describing how autism impacted him every day, it also teaches the reader about sensory processing, dysregulation, ways to communicate, and strengths and areas of difficulty for the child. It helped explain how one can better interact with the child, things to expect, etc. It was very easy to read while packed with information in layman’s terms.

As a parent to a neurodiverse child, I can relate to everything the author expresses. There is an important message here, as well as a learning experience for others.

This book would most benefit parents and other adults. I can't see a child, even an older one, being engaged. If the book was presented to adults, they could teach their children the important messages. I would advocate for some of the language to be changed to be geared solely to adults.

I love the vivid illustrations and the use of sign language. I think my child would have trouble making sense of the drawings however, and the use of color would be perhaps over stimulating.

I think what the author did here is beautiful, and they are clearly a very loving and accepting parent. I hope they are extremely proud of the book they wrote. I'm going to try a few the tips myself for our family.

This was such an informative read that I learnt lots from. I have a family member who has just been diagnosed with Autism and so this will be so helpful. I love that each letter of the alphabet si covered with something informative. A really great read.

This alphabet-style book tells information about autism and neurodiversity using real-life examples. Unlike most simple alphabet books which say something along the lines of "a is for apple" this book includes 1-5 paragraphs of text per letter explaining a situation and how it can impact someone with autism. For example, in this book, a is for apple, but only green ones that are sliced the right way. A is also for ASL. Throughout the book each page includes the finger spelling of each short sentence as well as a colourful picture to go with it. There is often more than one word for each letter (see apple, ASL above), and the paragraphs explain the symptoms of autism expertly and in a very relatable way. There is a lot of text, so I'm not entirely sure how long a child would sit listening to this story, but I do think it is an important book both for children and adults to learn about how autism makes someone special. It also demonstrates that what can be challenging for someone with autism can also be challenging for neurotypical people too, for example not liking loud noises or needing to remember to breathe and calm down. I think this is a great book for families of children with autism and also for teachers and school librarians or other staff to have access to. In a lot of ways this book might be perfect for adults even more so than children and really people of any age can benefit from learning about diversity and inclusion. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

I'm not sure who the target audience is with this book?

I am the mother to a nonverbal 7 year old on the autism spectrum.the images are too busy for her to be able to learn any ASL from and the writing is too difficult for a young child to follow.

Maybe this would work for an older siblings of an ASL child? If a child is old enough to follow the writing, it seems this style of book wouldn't appeal to them.

A unique and special focus on autism and how those involved are affected. Each letter of the alphabet is covered and it's an informative read.

I think this book was a wonderful concept. It spread awareness about American Sign Language. Neurodivergence, and how the two can combine. I think some of the artwork was great too. However, as someone who is neurodivergent, I thought some of the work was overstimulating but I’m aware that is subjective.

My main issue was that in some parts of the book the wording was awkward. For example, with the letter L there was a sentence about Ollie having a “toxic romance” with sugar. It just felt weird. I don’t think the author thought it through.