Perri Klass - Quirky Kids

Available From the American Academy of Pediatrics

Achieving a Healthy Weight for Your Child: An Action Plan for Families

ADHD: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Autism Spectrum Disorder: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings

Caring for Your Adopted Child: An Essential Guide for Parents

Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5

Caring for Your School-Age Child: Ages 512

Co-parenting Through Separation and Divorce: Putting Your Children First

Family Fit Plan: A 30-Day Wellness Transformation

Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed With Insight, Humor, and a Bottle of Ketchup

Guide to Toilet Training

My Child Is Sick! Expert Advice for Managing Common Illnesses and Injuries

Parenting Through Puberty: Mood Swings, Acne, and Growing Pains

The Picky Eater Project: 6 Weeks to Happier, Healthier Family Mealtimes

Raising an Organized Child: 5 Steps to Boost Independence, Ease Frustration, and Promote Confidence

Raising Kids to Thrive: Balancing Love With Expectations and Protection With Trust

Retro Baby: Cut Back on All the Gear and Boost Your Babys Development With More Than 100 Time-tested Activities

Retro Toddler: More Than 100 Old-School Activities to Boost Development

Waking Up Dry: A Guide to Help Children Overcome Bedwetting

For additional parenting resources, visit the HealthyChildren bookstore at https://shop.aap.org/for-parents.

American Academy of Pediatrics Publishing Staff

Mary Lou White, Chief Product and Services Officer/SVP, Membership, Marketing, and Publishing

Mark Grimes, Vice President, Publishing

Kathryn Sparks, Senior Editor, Consumer Publishing

Jason Crase, Senior Manager, Production and Editorial Services

Shannan Martin, Production Manager, Consumer Publications

Sara Hoerdeman, Marketing Manager, Consumer Products

Published by the American Academy of Pediatrics

345 Park Blvd

Itasca, IL 60143

Telephone: 630/626-6000

Facsimile: 847/434-8000

www.aap.org

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.

The information contained in this publication should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

Statements and opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Any websites, brand names, products, or manufacturers are mentioned for informational and identification purposes only and do not imply an endorsement by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP is not responsible for the content of external resources. Information was current at the time of publication.

The persons whose photographs are depicted in this publication are professional models. They have no relation to the issues discussed. Any characters they are portraying are fictional.

The publishers have made every effort to trace the copyright holders for borrowed materials. If they have inadvertently overlooked any, they will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.

This publication has been developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The contributors are expert authorities in the field of pediatrics. No commercial involvement of any kind has been solicited or accepted in development of the content of this publication. Disclosures: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Every effort is made to keep Quirky Kids consistent with the most recent advice and information available from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Special discounts are available for bulk purchases of this publication. Email Special Sales at for more information.

2021 Perri Klass, MD, FAAP, and Eileen Costello, MD, FAAP

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout prior permission from the publisher (locate title at ). First edition 2003 Ballantine Books as Quirky Kids: Understanding and Helping Your Child Who Doesnt Fit InWhen to Worry and When Not to Worry.

The American Academy of Pediatrics would like to acknowledge the permission granted to reprint previously published material:

From A WRINKLE IN TIME 1962 by Madeleine LEngle. Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers. All Rights Reserved.

From EASY WAY OUT by Stephen McCauley. Copyright 1992 by Stephen McCauley. Reprinted with the permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

From To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Copyright 1960, renewed 1988 by Harper Lee. Used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

Excerpt(s) from CELESTIAL NAVIGATION by Anne Tyler, copyright 1974 by Anne Tyler Modarressi. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

Excerpt(s) from BUDDENBROOKS: THE DECLINE OF A FAMILY by Thomas Mann, translated by John E. Woods, translation copyright 1993 by Penguin Random House LLC. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

From Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk. Copyright 1955 by Penguin/Random House. Used by permission of the Estate of Herman Wouk.

Printed in the United States of America

9-451/0221 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CB0119

ISBN: 978-1-61002-419-8

eBook: 978-1-61002-420-4

EPUB: 978-1-61002-422-8

Kindle: 978-1-61002-423-5

Cover design by Rattray Design

Publication design by Peg Mulcahy

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020930664

What People Are Saying About Quirky Kids

Every child is one of a kind, right from the start. But what about when the differences that make your child unique are uniquely challengingat home, at the playground, at school, in life? With an empowering mix of accessible information, reasoned advice, realistic strategies, honesty, empathy, and perspective, Quirky Kids will guide you through the complex, sometimes frustrating, often draining, ultimately uniquely rewarding process of parenting and nurturing your uniquely quirky child.

Heidi Murkoff, author of the What to Expect series of pregnancy and parenting books, creator of WhattoExpect.com, and founder of the What to Expect Project

Its all too common for parents of developmentally different kids to feel isolated, ostracized, and confused. This book, written with uncommon clarity and compassion by Drs Klass and Costello, is an incredibly valuable resource for parents, family members, and friends of children who have their own special way of interacting with the world.

Seth Mnookin, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Graduate Program in Science Writing and author of