Our Konnect books are being used in clinics, schools and homes across the world as an incredibly empowering and supportive resource for Autistic children.
Here’s why they were created…
The Konnect books were created by an autistic author who was diagnosed as Autistic as an adult, after two decades of teaching children. That background made it clear something better was needed: a resource that would keep Autistic children safe in a world where not everyone is well meaning, without asking them to hide who they are.
Looking at the other social skills programmes and resources on offer was disheartening. Many of these courses and books told Autistic children that their way of being was wrong, and that the goal was to teach them how to appear non-autistic. But those resources had been created by people with no lived experience of being Autistic.
The Konnect books take a different approach: resources that are positive for Autistic children, for their mental health and their self esteem. There was never any intention to encourage children to hide who they are or to feel anything other than proud of their Autisticity. The aim was to create something as unique as the children the books are for.
The books also give children a way to interpret whether someone is being friendly or taking advantage of them, and they teach children about their own boundaries, not just how to respect the boundaries of others.
Most of all, the Konnect books help to build understanding and acceptance between the children and the adults who use them. These are the books that Autistic children deserve.
Why social skills resources need to be different
Traditional social skills programmes tend to focus on teaching Autistic children to perform in non-autistic ways: more eye contact, less stimming, scripted responses to social situations. That approach treats Autistic communication as broken rather than different, and it can leave children feeling like they’re constantly failing at being someone they’re not.
The Konnect books take the opposite approach. Rather than training children to mask, they help children understand social situations on their own terms: recognising when someone is being genuinely friendly versus taking advantage, understanding their own boundaries, and building the confidence to say no. That’s a very different goal from compliance, and it’s one that respects a child’s Autistic identity rather than asking them to hide it.
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