Friends with Disabilities Series

The Friends with Disabilities Series by Amanda Doering Tourville and illustrated by Kristin Sorra, includes My Friend Has ADHD, My Friend Has Down Syndrome, My Friend Has Dyslexia, and My Friend Has Autism. All of the books have the same format. They start with a short story about 2 friends (one who has a disability and one who doesn't) told from the point of view of the child without a disability. The story includes many of the common characteristics of the disability and what that looks like in their friendship. Then on each page is a "Did you know?" box with facts relating to the characteristic just discussed. In the end of the book, there is a expository text about the disability, a glossary of terms associated with the disability, and a section for further resources (books, internet sites, etc.).

I have used these books to go into a classroom at the beginning of the school year and inform the students of a classmate they may have. I found it opens communication so my students can be integrated into the classroom more easily and the typically developing peers have a base knowledge of how to act and what to do. They are very basic books and are certainly written for a specific purpose, but I think they are a good introduction to disabilities for younger students.