Many excellent books focus on specific disorders in caseloads of speech-language professionals. The ASHA Magazine featured an article by Ray Kent, Renewal and Rediscovery: Insights from Memoirs of Illness and Disability" (Summer 1998) (http://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/publications/archive/Sum98ashamag1.pdf). In addition to the article, Kent created an extensive annotated bibliography high-lighting several books. Although the bibliography is no longer on the ASHA website, with Dr. Kent's permission, I added suggestions to his excellent bibliography, creating "Our Clients and their Families Speak" (http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/teaching/counseling/classmaterials/clientsspeak.html). ASHA also suggests "Books About Communication" (http://www.asha.org/public/books.htm) featuring suggestions for books written for children about children with communication disorders. Another good resource is the 52 page "Children's Books about Disability: A Bibliography-Teacher's Guide" (2005) that features suggestions for children from preschool through middle school (http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/documents/ChildrensBiblioDisabilityBooks.pdf).

The following bibliographies provide important resources to support speech and language goals.

Language and Literacy

• A Bibliography of Children's Books That Focus on Language Goals, by Bonnie Lund (http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster2/languagefocusbooks.pdf)
• Bibliography of Books with Rhyme and Repeated Lines (http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster2/repetitivebooks.html) is a comprehensive list collated by Judith Kuster. The project begun by Vijaya Srinivasan on the Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology (QIAT) mailing list (QIAT@lsv.uky.edu) was supplemented by several already-existing bibliographies cited in the references at the end of the list.
• "No Time for Flash Cards" (http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/) features a long list of "Book Reviews by Theme" (http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/book-reviews). a list of books from "Favorite Authors for Babies and Toddlers," (http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2009/08/favorite-authors-for-babies-toddlers-and-preschoolers.html) and "50 Fantastic Alphabet Books" (http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/category/alphabet-books) by Allison McDonald, author of a literature-based preschool curriculum, assisted by three contributing writers.

• "Books for Specific Phoneme Practice," is from a book by Margaret (Dee) Fish, (2010). Here's how to treat childhood apraxia of speech. San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing. (www.pluralpublishing.com), produced with permission (www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster2/phonemebooks.html)
• "Bibliography of Books, Stories and Games that Reinforce Speech Sound Targets" (http://crokebeck.tripod.com/articbks.htm/homepage.html) (author unknown)

• "Stuttering in Children's Literature," an annotated bibliography begun by Kris Warmka (www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/Bookstore/childrensbooks.html) expands on Bushey, T., & Martin, R. (1988). Stuttering in children's literature. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 19, 235-250. (http://lshss.asha.org/cgi/content/abstract/19/3/235)
• "Using fictional literature as a tool in fluency intervention programs for children and teens," by Kelly Jones and Kenneth Logan for the International Stuttering Awareness Day online conference (2010) (www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad13/papers/logan13.html) provides a table summarizing the 16 contemporary juvenile fiction books that feature a child who stutters.
• Logan, K.J., Mullins, M.S., & Jones, K.M. (2008). The depiction of stuttering in contemporary juvenile fiction: Implications for clinical practice. Psychology in the Schools, 45, 609-626. reviews 29 contemporary juvenile fiction books featuring characters who stutter (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pits.20313/abstract)

  Online Books especially for children, featuring Specific Speech-Language-Hearing Disorders

  There are also several freely-available online books you can use to help children understand their communication difficulties. Many also teach important lessons. Some of the "books" are presented on YouTube. Those listed below in PDF format are downloadable to the bookshelf on an iPad.

  Stuttering

  • Sometimes I Just Stutter, by Eelco de Geus (www.stutteringhelp.org/sometimes-i-just-stutter)
  • Trouble at Recess (http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Portals/English/book0034.pdf)
  • Izabella: The Story of the Princess Who Stuttered, by Beata Akerman (http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster2/disorderbooks/akerman.pdf)
  • Everyone's Different, by Alan Badmington (http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad7/papers/badmington7/badmington27.html)
  • The Can't Be Seen Who Couldn't Squawk, by Dale Williams (http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster2/disorderbooks/williams.pdf)
  • Tarby Rockets to Slower Speech, by Craig Coleman and Mary Weidner (http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad12/papers/therapy12/colemanbook.pdf)
  • Changing the Words Around, by Alan Badmington (http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster2/disorderbooks/badmington.pdf)
  • Jeremy and the Hippo, by Gail Wilson Lew (http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/ISAD3/papers/jeremybook/jeremy1.html)
  • Benni (http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/ISAD3/papers/benni/benni.html) (in German)
  • Stuttering Stan Takes a Stand, by Artie Knapp (http://www.mightybook.com/MightyBook_free/books/stuttering_stan/stuttering_stan.html)
  • James Earl Jones' reading "To Be A Drum" on StoryLine Online (http://www.storylineonline.net/) features a wonderful introduction where the author talks about his struggles with stuttering and a reading disorder.
  Articulation
  • Charlie Who Couldn't Say His Name (http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster2/disorderbooks/charlie.pdf) a commercial book made freely-available online by author Davene Fahy
  Hearing Disorders
  • Oliver Gets Hearing Aids (http://www.who-sells-it.com/images/catalogs/1339/pdf_4902.pdf) by Maureen Cassidy Riski and Nikolas Klakow, from Phonak
  • Oliver Gets FM (http://www.who-sells-it.com/images/catalogs/1339/pdf_4903.pdf) by Maureen Cassidy Riski, from Phonak
  • Having Hearing Aids by Peter Augustine (http://www.oticonchildren.com/children/com/ParentsAndRelatives/Resources/RecommendedReading/For_Children/03_Oticon_Children_HavingHearingAids.pdf) from Oticon
  • Samantha and her Fun FM and Hearing Aid Book! - seven year old Samantha reads her illustrated book on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc1U-YuxqEw)
  • A Thousand and One Children's Books in ASL (http://1001booksinasl.blogspot.com/) signed word and ASL translations by Charles Katz of thirteen popular books, created between 2007-2009
  • Sign Me A Story (http://weehands.com/public_forum/viewforum.php?f=23&sid=9c98ed3c485cd1d197d3ef93e7f27e8f) has eleven popular children's books read, focusing in a specific signs such as colors, numbers, animals, etc.
  • Sign Writing (http://www.signwriting.org/library/children/) has 21 familiar stories written in ASL and a few stories in Brazilian, Nicaraguan, Norwegian, and Spanish sign language.
  Aphasia
  • The Treasure Hunt - a YouTube "book" about a child who has a grandfather with aphasia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq12cMUZPg4&feature=share The Treasure Hunt)
  For children with severe difficulty with reading/writing or who have difficulty being understood
  • Adapted Books from the NYC library (http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/District75/Departments/Literacy/AdaptedBooks/default.htm) are created with Boardmaker, Writing with Symbols, and PowerPoint software. They have also been converted to Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. Also check the "Functional Library" (http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/District75/Departments/Literacy/functionallibrary)
  • Adapted Library from the Baltimore City Public Schools - Boardmaker Files http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=1446
  General disability
  • Buddy Can by Nicole Caldwell (www.positivelyautism.com/gobuddygo/BuddyCan.pdf) is about a dog who uses a "wheel chair." It was written by Nicole Caldwell (an autism specialist) for preschool and early childhood to help children to understand disability. There is a suggested Lesson plan available. (www.positivelyautism.com/gobuddygo/LessonPlan01.pdf)

    The purpose of this column was to feature books and bibliographies freely-available online, but worth mentioning are free story APPs which are beginning to appear such as those from Lorrie Ann Harrington, originally created to teach her son, who has Autism Spectrum Disorder, new vocabulary, language-based concepts, and social communication skills.

    • Mr. Turkey, where are you? (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mr.-turkey-where-are-you/id479087329?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4)
    • Halloween eBook - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/halloween-ebook/id470673667?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

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    Judith Maginnis Kuster, MS, CCC-SLP, is an emeritus and adjunct professor in the Department of Speech, Hearing, and Rehabilitation Services at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Contact her at judith.kuster@mnsu.edu. An archive of all of Kuster's columns can be found at http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster4/leader.html. URLs change, however, and there is no guarantee that links from previous columns are still functional. URLs on this article will not be added to or altered).