Neurodiverse Children’s Books

Podcast episode: 109

From Hype to High School

Richard Woolley - MA Publishing

Children’s books that accurately reflect neurodiverse characters and themes have been hailed as “the latest publishing trend” in 2023, as publishers begin to realise the commercial potential of a previously underserved reading market. At a time when more and more school children are being diagnosed as having special educational needs, research shows that class study of neurodiverse books can be helpful to foster inclusion and greater understanding of these conditions. In this podcast, Richard Woolley asks to what extent neurodiverse books are making their way into secondary schools, with expert commentary from the frontline of teaching from Jen Owen. 

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Duration: 00:06.33

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 28 Nov 2023 around 5pm

References

Artman-Meeker, K. Grant, T and Yang, X. (2016) ‘By the Book: Using Literature to Discuss Disability With Children and Teens’, Teaching Exceptional Children, 48.3. Available at: https://doi-org.oxfordbrookes.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0040059915618195.  

Ducarre, L. (2019) ‘French Children’s Literature and Autism’, in Baverstock, A., Bradford R. and Gonzalez, M. (eds) Contemporary Publishing and the Culture of Books. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 278–318.  

Gov.uk, Special educational needs in England (2023). Available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england. (Accessed 22 October 2023).   

Henry, K. (2010) How Do I Teach This Kid to Read? Arlington: Future Horizons.

Hill, A. (2023) ‘Books with neurodivergent characters mark new chapter for publishers’. The Guardian, 14 June 2023. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jun/14/books-with-neurodivergent-characters-mark-new-chapter-for-publishers. (Accessed 26 October 2023).

Matsumoto, V. and Black, R. (2019) ‘An easy mark: YAL characters on the autism spectrum targeted by bullies’, Middle School Journal, 50.5. Available at: https://doi-org.oxfordbrookes.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/00940771.2019.1675000.

NHS England, What is autism? (2022). Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/what-is-autism. (Accessed 22 October 2023).

Price Azano, A., Tackett, M. and Sigmon, M. (2017) ‘Understanding the Puzzle Behind the Pictures: A Content Analysis of Children’s Picture Books About Autism’, AERA Open, 3.2. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858417701682.

Schuelka, M. (2018) ‘Implementing Inclusive Education’. K4D Helpdesk Report, 29 August 2018. Available at:https://k4d.ids.ac.uk/resource/implementing-inclusive-education. (Accessed 26 October 2023).

Spanoudi, M. (2023) ‘Arts Council England to fund project on disability representation in children's books’. The Bookseller, 2 October 2023. Available at: https://www.thebookseller.com/news/arts-council-england-to-fund-project-on-disability-representation-in-childrens-books. (Accessed 26 October 2023).

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