Sarah Gelman shares books celebrating autistic voices for Autism Acceptance Month

Sarah Gelman, Amazon Books’ editorial director, joined CBS Mornings with book recommendations meant to honor the experiences and identities of neurodivergent people as April’s Autism Acceptance Month moves the conversation beyond awareness and toward inclusion.

That shift has become central to how publishers and advocacy groups frame the month. The Autism Society of America said it is continuing its fourth annual #CelebrateDifferences campaign, while the Autistic Self Advocacy Network has used the term Autism Acceptance Month since 2011, reflecting a broader push by autistic advocates to move away from a model built only on visibility and toward one grounded in respect, support and self-definition.

The history behind the observance shows how much the message has changed. The Autism Society traces it back to National Autistic Children’s Week in 1972. The United Nations later designated April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day in 2007, with observance beginning in 2008, and said the day was created to promote the human rights and fundamental freedoms of autistic people. That evolution now reaches deep into publishing, where major book sellers and publishers are highlighting memoirs, guides and fiction that center autistic and neurodivergent voices rather than speaking for them.

The timing carries real weight for families, educators and health systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest data show about 1 in 31 children aged 8 years have been identified with autism spectrum disorder, up from the 1 in 36 estimate widely cited in 2023. That makes autism not just a cultural conversation, but a major public-health and family issue, one that shapes classrooms, clinics and household routines across the United States.

Gelman’s appearance fit that broader shift in editorial focus. The books now getting attention during Autism Acceptance Month are being positioned not simply as awareness tools, but as pathways to understanding autistic lives more accurately and more humanely. For readers, parents and educators, that means books that can build recognition and empathy while also challenging the assumptions that have long shaped how autism is discussed in media, schools and public policy.