Autism is a developmental disorder characterised by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communications and sensory oversensitivity. Here at Five Books, we have spoken to a number of experts on the subject and asked them to recommend the best books on autism.

They include the originator of the influential 'mind-blindness' theory and director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University, Simon Baron-Cohen; Barry Prizant, another of the world's leading scholars of autism spectrum disorders; and Uta Frith, professor of cognitive development and author of a fascinating book on autism through history.

Having a child diagnosed with autism, or an autism spectrum disorder, can be a frightening or stressful experience for a parent, but Prizant makes clear that there are positives, too: "In many ways, people with autism enhance our lives and help us to be better people," he told us, adding: "Yes, there are significant challenges . . . But many families and many people with autism do find, with the right support, we can understand them better."

By informing themselves as well as they can—through careful research, both online and in books recommended by our experts—parents might hope to move forward with optimism.