Children learn language best when they’re engaged and interested—something the right book can evoke in an instant. Since children on the autism spectrum sometimes struggle with reading comprehension, it’s important to build positive routines around reading as early as possible in your child’s life. Why?

Our new series, “Spotlight on Black Professionals in ABA,” kicks off with an interview with Brandon Whitfield, the clinical director overseeing LEARN Behavioral’s Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST) Beach Cities office in beautiful, sunny Los Angeles.

In honor of Black History Month, and because this is an essential topic for all families, compiled below are six books for children and teens that address race, racism, and the Black experience.

As our country starts the process of distributing vaccines for COVID-19 and re-opening our cities, many people are hoping that 2021 delivers a return to normal. We are getting that first glimpse of a promising horizon. But instead of trying to return to the old normal, we have a chance to establish a new and better normal, informed by the experiences of the past year.