February is here! This month our email inboxes will be flooded with messages of love, caring and chocolate. And usually they’re about doing something or buying something for someone else. But this month, how about a Valentine’s Day gift for YOU?

Let’s face it – the pandemic has been challenging for all of us on so many levels. We’ve missed seeing people who make us laugh and doing things that make us happy. We’ve had to postpone vacations and take on extra caregiving responsibilities and more.

So this month, we invite you to set aside some quality time – a date with yourself. Why not spend a few moments in the soft stillness of the early morning or during an evening pause and reset … with a good book?

Here are some of our recommended favourites.

Written from autistic adults’ perspectives

• I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder: A Memoir by Sarah Kurchak – a sharp, funny, honest writer who shares her experiences as a Canadian autistic woman.
• Sincerely, Your Autistic Child edited by Emily Paige Ballou, Sharon Davanport, and Morénike Giwa Onaiwua – a great read for families on identity, neurodiversity, and understanding featuring a diverse collection of autistic voices.
• Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism, a book of essays written by autistic women, including Christine Jenkins, who was one of the participants in Autism Ontario’s Women on the Spectrum webinar in 2020.

Written from parents’ and advocates’ perspectives

• Social Behavior and Self-Management by Kari Dunn Buron is a book that can increase self-management skills and potentially serve as an excellent self-advocacy tool.
• The Science of Making Friends by Liz Laugeson offers parents a step-by-step guide to making and keeping friends for teens and young adults with social challenges.
• Autism What Does it Mean to Me by Catherine Faherty is a companion for autistic people, their parents and families, and professionals.

Published by Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)

• ASAN is a great source for locating books written by people on the autism spectrum covering a variety of topics.

One last one … for the kids!

• Do You Want to Play? Making Friends with an Autistic Kid by Daniel Share-Strom (YouTube, read by the author).