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Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew

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Essential for any parent, teacher or caregiver of an autistic child. Unreservedly recommended.” — Midwest Book ReviewHopeful and highly informative, quite possibly the best book on parenting a chil...
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  • 04 August 2026
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Essential for any parent, teacher or caregiver of an autistic child. Unreservedly recommended.” — Midwest Book Review

Hopeful and highly informative, quite possibly the best book on parenting a child with autism.” — Chanticleer International Book Awards

The 20th Anniversary Edition of Ellen Notbohm’s Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew commemorates the timeless insights of one of the autism community’s most beloved classics. Translated into more than 25 languages,Ten Things has transcended geographic, cultural, and socio-economic boundaries to guide and inspire millions of families and professionals worldwide.

Framed with humor and compassion, the book helps to illuminate— not define—autistic children. A child’s voice leads into each chapter, opening a window to understanding ten core characteristics of autism and their influence on how our children see, hear, feel and react to their physical, sensory and social-emotional environments.

And, in a new section exclusive to the 20th Anniversary Edition, Ellen gives us The 11th Thing, her wise and thought-provoking response to one of Ten Things readers’ most frequent requests.

Ellen's experiences as a parent, author, advocate, and contributor to numerous parenting, education, and health publications coalesce to create this perceptive, informative, and highly relatable guide empowering all who interact with someone on the autism spectrum.

WINNER OF

Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal

Chanticleer International Book Awards Grand Prize

Eric Hoffer Book Awards, Grand Prize Short List

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Price: $24.95
Pages: 188
Publisher: Future Horizons
Imprint: Future Horizons
Series: Ten Things
Publication Date: 04 August 2026
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9781963367584
Format: Hardcover
BISACs: FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Children with Special Needs, Autism Spectrum Disorder, PSYCHOLOGY / Psychopathology / Autism Spectrum Disorders, EDUCATION / Special Education / Behavioral, Emotional & Social Disabilities, FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Learning Disabilities, Child, developmental & lifespan psychology, Teaching of students with social, emotional or behavioural difficulties or disorders
REVIEWS Icon

Great book for the parent of a child who is newly diagnosed. It will help the parent who is frightened by the diagnosis get started on creating a positive outcome for their child. — Temple Grandin, PhD, Author of The Way I See It and Thinking in Pictures

This third edition is amazing, and an absolute must-read. Ellen has absorbed so much more wisdom from both the autism world and the autistic world and poured it into her work, and I'm floored. Buy this book, read it, loan it, share it, then read it again! — Jennifer McIlwee Myers, Author of Growing Up with Sensory Issues: Insider Tips from a Woman with Autism and How to Teach Life Skills to Kids with Autism or Asperger’s

This third edition of Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew is without exception the best yet! As an international consultant on ASD who works with individuals, schools, and parents, I have used this resource as a core teaching tool in most of my trainings, especially with staff who are new to the field of Special Education and/or working with an individual with ASD. I was really excited to see the new chapter on Your Power of Choice. As Ellen writes: 'Seldom is the instance in which we truly have no choices,' and this is so true. It empowers the individual to have control in a world that in many ways feels out of control. This book is a must have for your autism resource collection. — Jim Ball, EdD, BCBA-D, President/CEO JB Autism Consulting

Every child with autism deserves to have the adults in their life read this book. Parents will find a compassionate, astute ally who has lived the journey with her now-adult son. All readers will clarify and refine their understanding of what it really takes to help a child fit into the world, achieve a state of confidence, and fulfill their unique promise. Compact, well organized and accessible, it contains a remarkable amount of detailed information, helpful suggestions, and concrete strategies. Realistic, practical, and uplifting, it will help you make the best choices for both your child and yourself. It is on my ‘short list’ of highly recommended books on autism. I urge you to soak up its wisdom and then share it with others. — Debra Moore, PhD, Psychologist (retired) and Coauthor with Temple Grandin of The Loving Push: How Parents and Professionals Can Help Spectrum Kids Become Successful Adults

Ellen Notbohm reminds us once again that we should learn more than we teach and that we should listen more than we talk. Ten Things emphasizes these points and offers readers important insights and invaluable information. If you have a 1st or 2nd edition, you will want to purchase a new copy as this book is not just a compassionate and person-centered look at autism, it is also a reflection of a changing field and evolving understandings of advocacy, support, and ability. — Paula Kluth, PhD, Author of You’re Going to Love This Kid and Pedro’s Whale

The third edition explains our evolving insights into autism that are so valuable for parents, professionals, and those who have autism. Please grant the wish of the autistic child that you know and absorb the wisdom and clarity of a book that I highly recommend. — Tony Attwood, PhD, Author of Ask Dr. Tony: Answers from the World's Leading Authority on Asperger's Syndrome/High-Functioning Autism

This is essential reading for people who are important in your child’s life, to help them understand your child’s complex and sometimes baffling social, sensory, behavioral, and emotional challenges. This book gives a powerful voice to kids, teens, and adults who can’t easily advocate for themselves, providing an ‘inside view’ of the different realities of life with autism. The new chapter on ‘Your Power of Choice’ compassionately helps readers recognize that while they may feel overwhelmed, scared, and sometimes paralyzed, they are never powerless, and provides key empowering steps they can take to help those they love thrive and live meaningful, productive lives. — Lindsey Biel, Occupational Therapist, Coauthor of Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Book for Helping Your Child with Sensory Processing Issues, Author of Sensory Processing Strategies: Effective Clinical Work with Kids & Teens

As a parent, as one who works with autistic people, and as an avid reader on the subject, I’m telling you: you must have this book on your shelf. Parents who made it through your child’s early years with hope and optimism because you had the original Ten Things, you need this update. . . (it) will take you from the preschool years through high school and beyond, as parents prepare children for adulthood. The questions for discussion and reflection are perfect for parent support groups, teacher trainings, or book clubs. Optimism abounds. — Wendela Whitcomb Marsh, MA, BCBA, RSD, Author of The ABC’s of Autism in the Classroom

How wonderful that Ellen Notbohm's classic, Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, is here for a new generation! If your child has been diagnosed with autism, or if you think that your child may have autism, this is the first book that you should read. — Bobbi Sheahan, Author of What I Wish I'd Known about Raising a Child with Autism

Chapter One: I am a whole child.
Chapter Two: My senses are out of sync.
Chapter Three: See the difference between won’t (I choose not to) and can’t (I’m not able to).
Chapter Four: I am a concrete thinker. I interpret language literally.
Chapter Five: Listen to all the ways I’m trying to communicate.
Chapter Six: Picture this! I am visually oriented.
Chapter Seven: Focus and build on what I can do rather than what I can’t do.
Chapter Eight: Help me be social.
Chapter Nine: Identify what triggers my meltdowns.
Chapter Ten: Love me without “if.”