Age range: Any child who is able to express themselves verbally–perhaps preschool through 2nd or 3rd grade, but it could be appropriate for older children who are struggling to express themselves and their sensory needs.

Recommended for: This book encourages children to problem solve and self-advocate in order to reduce their exposure to sensations that are uncomfortable to them (in this case, loud noises at a birthday party). It’s a perfect fit for any child who has dreaded a birthday party due to a fear that popping balloons or a loud rendition of the Happy Birthday song will overwhelm them. It is not specific to autism-related sensory sensitivities but would be a good fit for an autistic child with sensitivity to sounds.

Age range: Preschool through 3rd grade.

Recommended for: This book is a relatively fun way to introduce the idea of increasing a child’s sensory input throughout the day to meet their sensory needs. This can be a helpful intervention for some children with autism, ADHD, anxiety, and body-focused repetitive behaviors (e.g., skin-picking and hair-pulling). It introduces the concept of sensory seeking and provides many concrete examples a child can try out (e.g., jumping on a trampoline, eating something crunchy, playing with a fidget toy). School psychologists and counselors, as well as OTs, may particularly find this book useful when discussing interventions for kids to try out.

Age range: Preschool through 2nd grade.

Recommended for: This book is a fun read for kids who need some encouragement to advocate respectfully for what they want. It’s especially, but not specifically, relevant to children who are bothered by loud noises and/or who love math. Kids who tend to complain without doing anything about the situation or who use aggressive or passive aggressive strategies may benefit from Isobel’s experimentation with these different strategies and her ultimate realization that kindly and directly articulating one’s preferences is often most effective.