Summer Reading List: For Adults!
- Boston Ability Center
- Jul 25
- 5 min read
Remember how summer seemed to fly by when you were a kid? Somehow it seems to fly EVEN FASTER as an adult! We know the summer months can be a whirlwind - busy schedules, family outings, and the joyful chaos of kids out of school can leave little time for quiet moments. At the same time, summer can also be a perfect opportunity to dive into meaningful reading that supports your journey as a parent or caregiver.
Our curated book list covers a variety of important themes, from embracing neurodiversity and nurturing happy, healthy eaters, to navigating your child’s emotions with compassionate discipline strategies. You’ll also find insightful reads on the power of outdoor play and practical guidance for boosting executive functioning skills — all designed to empower and inspire you while juggling life’s many demands.
Whether you’re stealing a few moments by the pool or winding down after a long summer day, these books are here to nourish your mind and support your family’s well-being all year long.
By Nimali Fernando and Melanie Potock
Written by a pediatrician and feeding therapist, this book is a practical, research-backed guide for parents navigating mealtimes from birth through school-age. Blending medical insight with real-world strategies, it offers tools to prevent picky eating, address feeding challenges, and foster joyful, adventurous eating habits - while also considering sensory needs, financial barriers, and modern parenting values.
By Marsha Dunn Klein
This book offers a compassionate, pressure-free approach to helping children who struggle with food anxiety. Through relatable stories (including her own grasshopper-eating experience!), Klein provides practical strategies to support kids in exploring new foods, while addressing the sensory challenges that make eating tough. This book is a gentle, hopeful guide for parents and professionals seeking to bring calm, confidence, and connection back to the table.
Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Processing Issues, Revised and Updated Edition
By Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske (foreward by Temple Grandin PhD)
A comprehensive, practical guide for parents of children with sensory processing challenges - whether related to autism, ADHD, or no diagnosis at all. Backed by the insights of occupational therapy and parent experience, this updated edition covers everything from daily routines to school advocacy, offering tools to support kids’ sensory needs with empathy, structure, and empowerment. It’s a go-to resource for creating a more peaceful, functional, and supportive life for sensory-sensitive children and their families.
By Angie Voss OTR
A clear, accessible handbook designed for parents and teachers to use daily as a quick reference guide. With over 210 common sensory cues explained, this book helps adults interpret what a child’s behaviors might really be communicating — and offers practical, on-the-spot strategies for responding supportively. Grounded in respect for sensory differences, it’s a valuable tool for anyone caring for children with sensory processing challenges, autism, ADHD, or other developmental needs.
By Steve Silberman (foreward by Oliver Sacks)
A deeply researched and compelling exploration of autism and the broader concept of neurodiversity. Tracing the hidden history of autism from its early definitions to modern understandings, Silberman challenges outdated narratives and reframes neurological differences as natural and valuable variations of the human experience. This groundbreaking book invites readers to rethink how we support, include, and celebrate neurodivergent individuals in every part of society.
By Eric Garcia
This book is journalist Eric Garcia’s powerful call to shift the conversation around autism - from one of “fixing” to one of understanding and acceptance. Blending personal experience with investigative reporting, Garcia debunks harmful myths, highlights the diverse voices within the autistic community, and advocates for policies and practices that reflect the real needs of autistic individuals. Honest, insightful, and affirming, this book is both a love letter to the autistic community and an eye-opening message from autistic people to their parents, friends, teachers, coworkers and doctors.
By Alice Wong
A powerful, thought-provoking, and deeply human anthology of first-person stories that celebrate the richness, resilience, and diversity of the modern disability experience. Featuring essays from disabled writers, activists, artists, and thinkers, the collection challenges stereotypes, amplifies underrepresented voices, and explores disability as culture, identity, and community. It is a vital read for anyone seeking to better understand disability in the 21st century.
Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children
Written by pediatric occupational therapist Angela Hanscom, this book explores how movement and nature-based play support kids’ sensory, motor, emotional, and cognitive growth. Backed by research and practical strategies, Hanscom encourages parents and educators to reintroduce freedom, risk, and nature into children’s lives - helping them grow into stronger, more confident, and more resilient individuals.
By Reid Wilson and Lynn Lyons LICSW
A fresh, research-based approach to helping children and teens overcome anxiety by breaking the cycle of worry and avoidance. The authors reveal how common well-meaning responses (like reassurance and accommodation) can actually reinforce fears. Through seven practical principles, they guide parents and caregivers to encourage resilience, independence, and courage in anxious kids, while also addressing how parental anxiety impacts children.
By Patty Wipfler and Tosha Schore
This book offers parents five practical, easy-to-use tools designed to strengthen connection, reduce difficult behaviors, and nurture children’s emotional and cognitive growth. Through real-life stories, the authors show how listening deeply - to tantrums, fears, and play - can heal and empower kids without the need for rewards or punishments. This compassionate guide encourages parents to understand and respond to their children’s feelings with patience and presence, fostering cooperation and resilience.
By Daniel J. Siegel M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson
Blending cutting-edge neuroscience with practical parenting strategies to help nurture children’s developing minds, Siegel and Bryson explain how a child’s brain grows and why emotions often overpower logic, especially in young kids. Through 12 age-appropriate techniques, parents can turn everyday challenges like tantrums and fears into opportunities for emotional integration and growth, fostering calmer, happier, and more resilient children. This accessible, science-backed guide empowers families to raise emotionally balanced and connected kids.
By Daniel J. Siegel M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson
A compassionate, brain-based approach to guiding children through challenging behaviors without conflict or punishment. Siegel and Bryson explain how understanding a child’s neurological development can help parents respond calmly, connect meaningfully, and set clear limits. With practical strategies for managing tantrums, fostering empathy, and avoiding common discipline pitfalls, this book turns discipline into an opportunity for growth, resilience, and stronger family relationships.
If you have any questions about what you've read or want personalized guidance for your child’s unique needs, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Our team of experts in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and feeding therapy is here to support you every step of the way. We're committed to helping your family feel equipped, empowered, and cared for on this journey!
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