30 Children’s Books about Developmental Disabilities

Did you know March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness month? Just in time, I’ve put together a list of a few of my favorite books about disabilities.

There are a lot of great children’s books out there that feature developmental disabilities. Representation of differing abilities matters! It goes a long way to have students feel represented, as well as to teach and give children an understanding of those that are different than them!

Incorporating books into speech therapy offers a multitude of benefits for individuals of all ages. First, books provide a structured framework for language learning, offering clear contexts and narratives that aid comprehension and engagement. Through reading aloud and discussing the content, SLPs can target various speech and language goals, such as articulation, phonological awareness, vocabulary expansion, and sentence structure. Books also serve as valuable tools for promoting literacy skills. Additionally, the diverse range of topics and genres found in books allows therapists to tailor sessions to individual interests and needs, ensuring personalized and effective intervention.

By integrating books into speech therapy sessions, clients not only improve their communication skills but also gain confidence, critical thinking abilities, and a deeper appreciation for the power of language.

I rounded up some great developmental disabilities books to add to your library that teach about many differences.

SPEECH DISORDERS

Finding My Yip (Boomer’s Tales)

Sweet Pickles: The Girl Who Would Not Speak

The Pirate Who Couldn’t Say Arrr!

Stuttering Stan Takes a Stand

hi, My nAMe is MiLLY

AUTISM

All My Stripes (A Story for Children with Autism)

Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes

Spaghetti is Not a Finger Food

Leah’s Voice

Nathan’s Autism Spectrum Superpowers

DOWN SYNDROME

We’ll Paint the Octopus Red

My Friend Has Down Syndrome

What’s Inside You is Inside Me Too: My Chromosomes Make Me Unique

My Friend Isabelle

Hannah’s Down Syndrome Superpowers

SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDER

Why Does Izzy Cover Her Ears?

Arnie and His School Tools: Simple Sensory Solutions That Build Success

Squirmy Wormy: How I Learned to Help Myself

Sensitive Sam

Pickysaurus Mac

DYSLEXIA

The Alphabet War: A Story About Dsylexia

Tom’s Special Talent

Thank You, Mr. Falker

Did You Say Pasghetti?

The Map Challenge

DEAF/HARD OF HEARING

A Birthday for Ben

Hands & Hearts

Dad and Me in the Morning

Cosmo Gets an Ear

Never Mind: Duke the Deaf Dog

Thanks for reading!
Do you have any other developmental disabilities books to add to this list?

You may also like reading:

25 Wordless Picture Books
30 Books to Target Negation
25 Books to Target Verbs
30 Social Emotional Books for Kids

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  All opinions are my own.