Wonderfully Wired Brains: An Introduction to the World of Neurodiversity

Wonderfully Wired Brains: An Introduction to the World of Neurodiversity is a picture book that explores different forms of neurodivergence.

It's written by Louise Gooding, a neurodivergent author with ADHD, who writes children's books about neurodiversity and disability.

This book starts by showing how brains work on a scientific level — neurons, synapses, neurotransmitters, and how messages are relayed to and from your brain.

Then, it specifically explains autism, ADHD, Tourette's syndrome, dyslexia, dyspraxia, OCD, and other forms of neurodivergence in an impressive amount of detail for a kids' book while still being quite accessible.

Gooding goes into the history of these diagnoses, traits that people may exhibit, neurodivergent famous/historical figures, and some supports that can help. She even includes an explanation of masking, an incredibly important element of neurodivergence for children to learn about.

I read it before giving it to my elementary school teacher aunt for Christmas and felt like I was learning things even as a fully grown adult ;)

I also appreciate the positive, empathetic way this book presents neurodivergence. For example, it shows the rainbow infinity symbol for autism instead of the puzzle piece (and even discusses that choice explicitly) in a spread about awareness and acceptance.

It's a pretty cool book, so get it for the kid in your life if you want them to understand their own neurotype and/or not be an asshat to people with other neurotypes. ^^

Note: One page references the statistic about how more boys are diagnosed with autism than girls. The only thing I would add to this book (and did add to the copy I gave my aunt) is an asterisk saying that girls and women tend to be diagnosed less often because of societal sexism. This might be a beneficial conversation to have with kids as well!