A commentary on children's books about autism: What messages do they send about neurodiversity?

This study looks at children's books about autism and finds they send very different messages about autistic people. Some books promote acceptance and understanding, while others might accidentally work against it. The researchers say it's important for families to carefully choose books that show autism in a positive way. They want more research on what messages these books actually give children, with autistic people helping to lead this research.

This commentary examines the growing body of children's books about autism, highlighting concerning variations in how they portray neurodiversity concepts. The authors analyze how different books present autistic differences, agency, abilities, and communication, noting that some may inadvertently work against neurodiversity acceptance. The commentary emphasizes the importance of including autistic authors' perspectives and voices of autistic and non-autistic parents. Given the vastly different themes across books, the authors stress the need for informed, individualized selection of autism-related children's literature.

They call for systematic research including content analyses and studies examining what messages these books actually convey to child readers, with autistic people leading this research conversation.

Educators and clinicians should carefully evaluate children's books about autism before use, considering neurodiversity principles. Priority should be given to books by autistic authors and those reflecting authentic autistic experiences. Systematic research is needed to understand the actual impact of these books on children's understanding of autism.

This is a commentary rather than empirical research. No systematic methodology is described for analyzing books. Sample of books examined is not specified. Conclusions are based on authors' observations rather than rigorous content analysis or outcome studies.

The past three decades have seen an exponential increase in the publication of children's books about autism. This increased availability of children's books is exciting because they have the power to promote understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of neurodiversity. However, growing concerns have been raised by both autistic and non-autistic people that some children's books about autism may work against neurodiversity, rather than promoting it. This Commentary discusses the strikingly different ways in which children's books about autism portray key concepts related to neurodiversity, including autistic differences, agency, abilities, and communication.

We present concrete examples (including books by autistic authors); highlight the views of autistic and non-autistic parents of autistic children; and discuss how different books may leave readers with different impressions of autism and neurodiversity. Given the vastly different themes that emerge across different books, we conclude that it is important for educators, families, and other members of the autism community to make informed and individualized choices about what books they use for what purpose. We emphasize the need for systematic, high-quality research on children's books about autism, including content analyses and studies that determine what messages these books send to their intended audience: children. It is vital that autistic people continue to shape this conversation, contributing unique insights that inform research priorities and the methodological approaches used to investigate them.