Different Thinkers: Autism is an accessible, compassionate, and empowering resource for children, parents and educators. The book highlights the diverse experiences of autistic children, focusing on their unique strengths while providing practical strategies for managing challenges.

The writing is clear and engaging, using simple language to explain complex concepts like how autistic brains work. Thought-provoking prompts and activities encourage reflection and self-acceptance, while the bright and colorful illustrations make it visually appealing for younger readers.

What stands out most is the book’s positive framing of autism, focusing on individuality and self-advocacy. It also includes nuanced details, such as the presentation of autism in girls, which adds depth and inclusivity.

Whether you’re starting conversations about autism at home, in the classroom, this is an invaluable resource. It’s a must-have for anyone looking to foster understanding and celebrate neurodiversity. Highly recommended!

I LOVED this! As a mother of three, I feel that this book is important for every family to read. It simplifies for children to understand some of the things they are seeing in their friends/classmates. It normalized that we are all different in such a beautiful way. Plus, it is interactive. I could see this being a conversation starter about autism, similarities, and differences. I will be adding this book to our home library.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy

I decided to pick this book up, because at 26 years old, I was recently diagnosed with autism. I am still trying to learn more about autism and "embrace" my autism/autistic identity if you will. I think this book is very important to read to children because it teaches a child that just because someone has a disability, they should be treated with kindness. If only there were more books like this published when I was a young child!

As someone who has an autistic sibling, this was such a powerful and helpful book. I thought it was informative without providing too much information - and I can see that it would be such a great tool for teaching children about autism.

Really loved this one. Which it had been around when I was a kid (no one could really teach me about my autism, so I had to figure everything out on my own).

This was a great book for introducing children to information on autism and neurodiversity. The illustrations, stories, and explanations are wonderful. I loved that the wording was simple yet effective. The prompts and tips were also a great addition to the book.

This book was wonderful for showing how amazing Autism is. As someone that works in special education, this book would be a wonderful addition to a general education class’s morning meeting to help them learn more about their classmate that isn’t always with them. It would also be useful to teach a student more about why their brain is working differently than their classmate's brain. I would love to add this to my classroom library when it comes out!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I'll admit to wary of yet another book proclaiming to be for autistic kids, but "Different Thinkers: Autism" by Dr. Katia Fredricksen and Dr. Yael Rothman is a very nuanced take and it's worth reading if you have an autistic child or teach any autistic kids (both of which apply to me). They provide a solid scientific explanation of autism for kids, and give examples of how autistic kids can create strategies to make their lives easier and more enjoyable. I particularly liked the strategies for the child who can't eat in the cafeteria because of sensory overload. This is truly a 5-star book, and one that I've already recommended to someone!

This is a children's book and I am not a child but I still learned from reading this one. I think this would be a great book for any child to read to help them learn about themselves or their classmates. It would be a great purchase for a teacher's classroom library.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a special education teacher and have always been looking for books that discuss neurodiversity for children. This book is informative, positive, and very well-done. This is something that I would love to have in my classroom to read with my students.

This is such a great book both for kids and their parents to read and discuss together! The authors language make it easy for anyone to understand and involves the reader with some journal activities as well.
This book explains not only autism but how the brain works for those with and without autism. I love the positive spin the authors give telling that autism is a more like a super power than a hindrance but people need to just learn how to understand them.
I work with many autistic kids and this will be a great resource for me to use with them.

I will definitely buy this for my classroom collection on neurodivergence. This book is great for showing how people with autism think in a unique way, focusing on gifts the person might have. It would be a great read aloud in class or a book for families to help them be more understanding and inclusive.

Yes, yes, yes! This is the kind of book we need to be seeing for children! As a late diagnosed autistic woman, I rarely, if ever, heard anything about autism as a child. I was a voracious reader as a child and I wish I had been able to find this kind of book in a library back then. This is such a great introduction to autism for any child and a great mini-workbook for autistic children to use with their caregiver.

I wish this book would have existed about 12 years ago! I really appreciate the way Different Thinkers shows three distinctly different people who have autism and the way their lives look different. I also appreciate that the strengths of being neurodivergent are shown as well. Actually, there are so many details this book brought to light---like the presentation of autism in girls---the tools and self advocacy that neurodivergent kids can employ----and even the science of the brain!
I really loved this book and I think having a tool like this would have empowered me so much as a parent when it came to explaining to my son why life was sometimes a struggle for him.
The illustrations are bright, colorful, and descriptive. I think kids will love them.
Thank you for writing such a great book!

This book is a good sidon to any library and is easy and informative, helping the reader have a better understanding of autism.

This is a great educational children's book that teaches kids about autism and how people with autism their brains work a little differently.

My son was just recently diagnosed, so this book presented itself at the perfect time. I love how the authors used three different kids to show how different autism can present itself. The information given is perfect for children to understand. I enjoyed the prompts given, encouraging kids to answer topics for themselves. I also enjoyed the tips given to help with common issues. This is a great book to help your just diagnosed kid who may not thoroughly understand what exactly his or her diagnosis means.

A child-centered guide that explains autism and highlights the gifts of being neurodivergent!

Using simple language, complemented by appealing and captivating illustrations, Different Thinkers Autism offers an accessible and uplifting message about what it means to have autism, how autism affects emotions and behaviors, and what children can do to manage any challenges while building on their individual strengths.

Written for elementary-age youth, parents, educators, and clinicians, the book features three vignettes of children who are autistic. Each vignette highlights various aspects of autism and how these can shape a child’s behaviors and relationships at home and in school.

Thought-provoking prompts are included throughout the text to help young readers better understand an autism diagnosis, explore what it means to be a different thinker, and find empowerment and self-acceptance.

Different Thinkers Autism gives young children information and strategies that can help them flourish while reminding them that their strengths, interests, and abilities are what define them.

This is the second title in the Different Thinkers series, written to help kids understand their brains and the unique vulnerabilities and opportunities that come with being neurodivergent.

My Take:
I appreciated the way this book approaches autism: the use of scientific terms, soft illustrations, and activities to capture personal understandings. I would recommend this book for educators, grownups of children with autism, and community libraries.

4/5 stars. I couldn't get the file to work quite right, but that parts of the book I was able to access look very promising. I'll be recommending this book as a great starting point for beginning conversations with your child/student about recognizing differences and validating their needs. I plan to use this as a resource for my children who are different learners. As an aside I prefer artwork that is a little more old fashioned/classic (watercolor for example) for my students, as opposed to the modern. Thanks for the opportunity to review this book.

I really enjoyed this book. The authors really broke down autism in understandable chunks and related autism to the child. The authors give the reader a look at all the different parts of the brain and what they do then talks about how everyone's brains are different even if they are all diagnosed with autism. It provides activities to make the reader think about and understand themselves as well as advice to adults on how to help children understand autism.