What is Neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity recognizes that children’s brains develop in many different ways. Differences in thinking, learning, and interacting—such as ADHD, autism, and sensory processing variations—are natural. Neurodivergent children often have unique strengths, though they may need extra academic and social support to thrive.
How Reading Helps Empower Neurodiverse Children
Reading together offers numerous benefits, including exposure to diverse language and vocabulary and enhancing communication skills. It also introduces children to various cultures and perspectives, fostering empathy and emotional understanding. Shared reading cultivates trust and creates meaningful connections, supporting both language and emotional growth while nurturing a lasting bond between parent and child. Thus, reading serves as a vital tool for family engagement and healthy development.
How Books Build Better Bonds
Reading plays a crucial role in strengthening secure attachments between children and caregivers. Secure attachment, as defined by psychiatrist John Bowlby, occurs when caregivers consistently respond to a child’s needs, fostering confidence and exploration. In contrast, insecure attachments can cause fear and hesitation.
Early relational health emphasizes the importance of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships in a child's development. Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) build resilience and help mitigate the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), promoting long-term well-being for both children and caregivers.
Choosing Books for Neurodiverse Learners
Following recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Reach Out and Read, we’ve curated book selections that reflect the diverse needs of neurodiverse children.
“Including shared reading as a regular activity among caregivers and their children helps to develop early literacy skills in a positive, welcoming environment. Research has shown that reading proficiently by the third grade is a strong predictor of future educational and career success, and reading aloud with children, including those who are neurodiverse, can build and strengthen important literacy skills for the future.“ Ashley Andrade, MD, PGY-4 Fellow, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Chicago Medicine.
Learning Style Differences
If your child’s healthcare provider or teacher has expressed concerns about their learning, reading together offers a positive, engaging way to support growth. Sharing books encourages your child to explore letters, words, rhymes, and numbers in a comforting environment. Many children will start to repeat words or retell the story, and with time, reading aloud helps strengthen speech and language abilities by making learning enjoyable.
Reading Tips:
Speech and Language Delay
Children with speech and language delays might not grasp every word, but they still benefit from the comfort and engagement of reading together. Reading aloud regularly can make learning language enjoyable and gradually strengthen communication skills.
Reading Tips:
Read the same story many times. Children enjoy the repetition, and it helps them learn language.
Point to pictures and talk about them.
Ask about letter sounds.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may find it challenging to make eye contact or focus on pictures in a book, and might not understand every word. Still, they can enjoy the comfort of reading together, even if only for a brief period. Reading can be especially beneficial when a child has sensitivities to certain textures, activities, or social situations. Teachers and therapists can offer helpful strategies to enhance these moments. Over time, making reading aloud enjoyable can help build speech and language skills.
Reading Tips:
Read the same story many times. Children enjoy the repetition, and it helps them learn language.
Read during the times between daily activities, such as after school or before dinner.
Short Attention, High Activity Level, or ADHD
Children with short attention spans, high activity levels, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may be energetic and find it challenging to follow directions, wait patiently, or take turns. However, they often enjoy the closeness of reading together, even if only for short periods. Sharing engaging and colorful books can make reading fun and, over time, help develop speech and language skills.
Reading Tips: