How Do Children’s Fiction Picture Books Normalize and Perpetuate Biases about Dyslexia by Othering (Dis)Ability and Neurodiversity?
Title and/or Affiliation
Elizabeth Green, Montana State University
Presenter Bio
Elizabeth Green teaches future educators how to teach reading at Montana State University. My research involves multiple aspects of literacy with special interests in dyslexia and the representation of dyslexia in children's literature.
Session
Panel: Representing Disability and Neurodiversity
Location
Zoom
Start Date
29-6-2024 1:15 PM
End Date
29-6-2024 2:30 PM
Abstract
The purpose of this mixed methods critical content analysis was to explore representations of dyslexia in fiction picture books by answering the following research questions: How are characters with dyslexia portrayed in children’s fiction picture books? What misconceptions about dyslexia are present in fiction picture books? Through the lens of critical neurodiversity studies, analysis focused on identifying the types of messages and values about dyslexia that are transmitted to the reader through the text. Overall, the texts examined in this study captured the extreme stress and difficulties experienced by children with dyslexia, especially in the school setting. Themes of low self-esteem, bullying, school avoidance, and many aspects of the diagnosis and intervention process are all supported by existing literature. Many texts in the study corpus included accurate depictions of the experiences of children with dyslexia. However, several themes are problematic, including ableist neurotypical messages and negative and stereotypical depictions. Perhaps the most concerning aspect of this text set is the high level of misconceptions present in the texts.
How Do Children’s Fiction Picture Books Normalize and Perpetuate Biases about Dyslexia by Othering (Dis)Ability and Neurodiversity?
Zoom
The purpose of this mixed methods critical content analysis was to explore representations of dyslexia in fiction picture books by answering the following research questions: How are characters with dyslexia portrayed in children’s fiction picture books? What misconceptions about dyslexia are present in fiction picture books? Through the lens of critical neurodiversity studies, analysis focused on identifying the types of messages and values about dyslexia that are transmitted to the reader through the text. Overall, the texts examined in this study captured the extreme stress and difficulties experienced by children with dyslexia, especially in the school setting. Themes of low self-esteem, bullying, school avoidance, and many aspects of the diagnosis and intervention process are all supported by existing literature. Many texts in the study corpus included accurate depictions of the experiences of children with dyslexia. However, several themes are problematic, including ableist neurotypical messages and negative and stereotypical depictions. Perhaps the most concerning aspect of this text set is the high level of misconceptions present in the texts.