5 Picture Books About Neurodiversity
Interviewing Dr. Kathryn Barbash about neurodiversity in picture books
Happy April, everyone!
I’m so excited to invite Dr.
—some of you may be familiar with her excellent newsletter, —to share her insights as a clinical psychologist and her own experience with neurodiversity and its representation in picture books.
After a decade of clinical practice working with kids, teens, and families in school and medical settings, Dr. Barbash shifted to being a stay-at-home parent to her 4 kids and writing her newsletter. In addition to her professional expertise, her family is neurodiverse which allows for the unique intersection of professional and personal experience.
Her family has a mix of neurotypes including autism and ADHD. Dr. Barbash herself has ADHD and is a parent to an autistic child and ADHD-ers. As the saying goes, if you know one autistic person, you know one autistic person. The same goes for a family, if you know one neurodiverse family, you know one neurodiverse family.
I’d love to learn more about your family and what it’s been like finding neurodiverse representation in picture books.
We are a family of 6, spanning toddlerhood to 3rd grade. Three of my children have been formally identified as neurodivergent and I am an ADHD-er. While there are very few quiet moments in our house there is a lot of laughter. We do things a little upside down sometimes (literally—we have a trapeze swing in the basement). There is a lot of personality under this roof (which means I have a lot to write about in my newsletter).
We are a family of avid readers, so books are a natural path to support my kids in learning about themselves. When we started to gather books about neurodiversity, it was disappointing. We’ve always framed the goal as learning about how their individual brains work. We discussed that we wanted to know about their strengths and some of the things that may be hard for them. After they received their formal identifications of autism and ADHD, they wanted to learn what it all meant. For them being autistic or an ADHD-er was not about problems, but about brain wiring that influenced how they experienced and interacted in the world. There are challenges, but those are secondary to the mismatch between the way the world is around them and their unique way of being.
I remember the first time we read a book discussing “problems” centered on the child. My child looked so deflated, they had never viewed autism or ADHD as a problem. We had another experience where I had to edit as we read because there was such an emphasis on disorders and behavior problems.
Now we use these as opportunities to talk about what we disagree with, which is a powerful tool for teaching about others’ misunderstanding of neurodiversity and how ableism shows up.
A lot is shifting about how we are approaching neurodiversity and I am hopeful, but we still have a long way to go.
What does good representation look like in children’s books?
In my opinion, here are a few common themes that should show up:
Neurodiversity is really diverse
There is an incredible amount of diversity within neurodiversity and it is certainly difficult to capture all of that within a children’s book. Some books designed to educate kids about neurodivergence tend to harp on stereotypes. Books will ideally highlight the diversity within this group. The idea of neurodiversity is really that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways and move away from a deficit model. Neurodiversity is most often associated with autism and other developmental or neurological differences like ADHD and learning differences. That is going to look very different depending on who you are talking about and the needs and supports will also vary significantly.
Embracing their neurodivergence
Unfortunately, a disproportionate amount of the representation in kids’ books about neurodiversity is problem-focused and paired with “solutions”. If you find out that your child is autistic or ADHD and you or they go to search for books, you are hit with books about problems and the need to change something is typically the plot. This message communicates that your difference means there is something wrong. It’s difficult to support your child in embracing their identity when books refer to it as a “problem.”
Books that focus on strengths rather than superpowers/special gifts/extraordinary talents
Some neurodivergent individuals have extraordinary talents or interests that have led to impressive accomplishments and it can be great to learn about them. However, that is not going to be true for everyone, and over-emphasizing the special talents neurodivergent people have creates an unfair expectation. No one should need to justify their difference by the promise they will make a significant impact on the world.
All children benefit from a strength perspective. Strengths are things that a child is good at it, are freely chosen, and are a positive experience for the child. We all bring strengths to the table. Neurodivergent children experience an emphasis on their difficulties most of the time—shifting to a strength focus is very important.
Stories told by neurodivergent narrators and written by neurodivergent authors
Too many books are narrated by (often, neurotypical) characters that focus on externally visible behaviors of neurodivergent characters. This defaults to focusing through a neurotypical lens on differences. Ideally, stories should be narrated by the neurodivergent characters themselves.
Furthermore, there is a long history of others speaking for neurodivergent people, and no matter how well intended, we need to recognize that everyone deserves to tell their own story. Books written by neurodivergent authors are ideal. Many books today are written by neurotypical authors who are parents or siblings of neurodivergent people. While that provides helpful insights, this can be tricky to balance because the story may still be told through a neurotypical lens. I think it depends on the point of view in the story and the author seeking input from neurodivergent individuals.
If you wrote your own children’s book about neurodiversity, what would it look like?
When I think about representation, I think about the concept of mattering. Mattering is a psychological need. It is about us feeling valued, appreciated, recognized and respected. It provides us with the sense that we provide value to others and contribute to their lives. All children should know that they matter, not despite differences but because differences add value to this world. Friendship, unique perspectives, expansion of what communication looks like, redefining joy, encouraging attention to needs—these are stories that everyone can benefit from.
If I wrote a children’s book, the stories would be about the mundane, the everyday stuff, but they would be a little upside down because they would be told by differently wired brains.
1. Sesame Street Friends: Julia
Written by Andrea Posner-Sanchez
Recommended Ages: 0-3 years old
This little, but mighty, board book published by Sesame Street is the perfect way to introduce toddlers to autism. Julia, a Sesame Street friend, loves doing all sorts of things with her family and friends. She also happens to be autistic which means she may do things a bit differently sometimes. I love this book because it paints Julia as a whole person who is also autistic. It’s a great way to highlight to toddlers that everyone is different but we share similarities too.
Buy now*
2. Leo and the Octopus
Written by Isabelle Marinov and Illustrated by Chris Nixon
Recommended Ages: 4-7 years old
Leo is lonely. He struggles with loud noises and crowded places and wonders if he’s the only one who feels this way. Things start looking up for him when he meets Maya, an octopus at his aquarium. Knowing instinctively that he and Maya will become friends, Leo takes the time to learn about octopuses. There are so many things to love about this story: not only do we learn about octopuses, we get to watch a little boy doing the hard work of making and fostering friendships. The illustrations are soothing with rich, bright colors that never feel loud or overwhelming (well-balanced by the white space). With deep hues of blues, it feels like you’re right there in the aquarium with Leo. What stuck out to me was Leo’s willingness to make friends but never at the cost of changing himself. This story is such a sweet example of friendship.
Buy now*
3. My Whirling, Twirling Motor
Written by Merriam Garcia Saudners and Illustrated by Tammie Lyon
Recommended Ages: 4-7 years old
A Barbash family favorite, this book follows Charlie and his school day. Charlie has ADHD and we see him describe the energy in him during the various activities of his day. I loved seeing the description because it’s so relatable. We’ve all had moments when we’re fidgety or restless and this lets us understand how Charlie feels as he goes about his day. He fears he’ll get into trouble when his whirling, twirling motor leads to unwanted outcomes but instead, he’s pleasantly surprised. This reminded me of what Dr. Barbash mentioned—there is so much focus on the outcome with minimal attempt at understanding what’s driving the behavior. I loved that this story is told from Charlie’s viewpoint because it allows us to see beyond external behaviors—we see a young boy navigate a world that isn’t friendly to his innate energy and because of that he is made so acutely aware of his “buzzing motor” and how it might get him into scrapes. Without spoiling it, I loved, loved, loved the ending.
Buy now*
4. I Think I Think A Lot
Written by Jessica Whipple and Illustrated by Josée Bisaillon
Recommended Ages: 5-9 years old
A young girl has OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and in her case, it manifests as the urgent need to “be good” and have perfectionist tendencies. At school, she wonders how the other kids seem so carefree and unbothered by things; things that would cause her anxiety and trouble her endlessly. The girl recounts all the ways she’s different from her classmates but she also acknowledges that there are good parts too which lead her to being a kind, thoughtful person. The artwork is cozy and does a marvelous job of intimating the protagonist’s anxiety and worry.
Buy now*
5. Wonderfully Wired Brains: An Introduction to the World of Neurodiversity
Written by Louise Gooding and Illustrated by Ruth Burrows
Recommended Ages: 7-10 years old
The bright, vivid illustrations featuring a diverse and inclusive cast of characters are the perfect introduction to how brains work, how incredible they are, and how—despite looking the same—they are unique. At the outset, the book walks through the neurology and biology of the brain with easy-to-understand language. Once the scientific premise has been established, the book moves into understanding what neurodiversity means and how it manifests in different ways (autism, ADHD, dyslexia, etc.). It explains how people are diagnosed and what those diagnoses mean. While the illustrations are bright and enticing, the way the drawings are scattered over the page might be overwhelming for some. Aside from the main body of text (which never veers too long), the pages are peppered with interesting facts. This is another Barbash family favorite!
Buy now*
Interesting Resources & Links
This is a wonderful website that not only talks about neurodiversity in children’s books but also has an incredible database of books that touch on neurodiversity
A list of some of my favorite children’s books about neurodiversity (Bookshop.org list*)
- is a beautifully written newsletter by a mom who shares her experience providing love and care to her autistic, young adult son
Let’s Talk…
What are some of your favorite books about neurodiversity?
If you could write a kid’s book about neurodiversity, what would it be about?
What questions do you have for Dr. Barbash?
*Thank you for using (at no additional cost to you) the affiliate links in this post! :-)
Great post from Kathryn! I like her perspective that books about neurodiversity should focus on value. We have Leo and the Octopus but I'd love to pick up I Think I Think a Lot (for myself). I think I'd write a book about sensory processing disorder.
Ahhhh what a dream team! I love both of your Substacks so much! Thank you for these recommendations!