{"id":{"repo_id":"brock","oai_identifier":"oai:brocku.scholaris.ca:10464/19476"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/brock/oai:brocku.scholaris.ca:10464/19476","repository":{"repo_id":"brock","name":"Brock University","base_url":"https://brocku.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Neurodivergent Narratives: Restorying Neurodiversity in Twenty-First Century Middle Grade Literature","abstract":"Popularized middle grade literature about neurodivergent characters, typically written by neurotypical authors, often portrays disability as a problem needing to be cured or changed. In contrast, fiction created by neurodivergent authors offers alternative perspectives, reimagining and restorying dominant narratives about neurodivergent individuals, positioning their natural ways of being as valid and valuable. This study explores the question of what neurodivergent representation in twenty-first century middle grade literature can become if we reject and restory the dominant narrative about neurodivergent people. Through paired analyses and (re)readings of historical texts, this dissertation reveals how racism and ableism are deeply embedded in children’s literature of the past, influencing portrayals of neurodivergent characters today. By examining the children’s book publishing industry as an exploitative, capitalist enterprise, this study highlights the social, cultural, and political contexts of middle grade literature and how the ways characters are treated in stories mirrors the treatment of neurodivergent individuals in educational, medical, and social settings. I argue that narratives authored by neurodivergent creators give presence to the neurodivergent lives excluded from popularized novels written by neurotypical authors. These narratives provide examples of restoried and reflective futures where neurodivergent characters—and young readers—thrive as the authors and protagonists of their own life stories.","abstract_html":"Popularized middle grade literature about neurodivergent characters, typically written by neurotypical authors, often portrays disability as a problem needing to be cured or changed. In contrast, fiction created by neurodivergent authors offers alternative perspectives, reimagining and restorying dominant narratives about neurodivergent individuals, positioning their natural ways of being as valid and valuable. This study explores the question of what neurodivergent representation in twenty-first century middle grade literature can become if we reject and restory the dominant narrative about neurodivergent people. Through paired analyses and (re)readings of historical texts, this dissertation reveals how racism and ableism are deeply embedded in children’s literature of the past, influencing portrayals of neurodivergent characters today. By examining the children’s book publishing industry as an exploitative, capitalist enterprise, this study highlights the social, cultural, and political contexts of middle grade literature and how the ways characters are treated in stories mirrors the treatment of neurodivergent individuals in educational, medical, and social settings. I argue that narratives authored by neurodivergent creators give presence to the neurodivergent lives excluded from popularized novels written by neurotypical authors. These narratives provide examples of restoried and reflective futures where neurodivergent characters—and young readers—thrive as the authors and protagonists of their own life stories.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Slagus, Jennifer"],"institution":"Brock University","degree_name":"Ph.D. Educational Studies","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":"Faculty of Education","degree_department":"Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Paul, Lissa"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-07-21T15:17:46Z","date_published":"2025-07-21T15:17:46Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:22:58Z","subjects":["disability","representation","book publishing","reader response"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International"],"rights_urls":["http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10464/19476","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Paul, Lissa"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Slagus, Jennifer"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-07-21T15:17:46Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-07-21T15:17:46Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-07-21T15:17:46Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Brock University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Electronic Thesis or Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Faculty of Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D. Educational Studies"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["disability","representation","book publishing","reader response"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10464/19476"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Popularized middle grade literature about neurodivergent characters, typically written by neurotypical authors, often portrays disability as a problem needing to be cured or changed. In contrast, fiction created by neurodivergent authors offers alternative perspectives, reimagining and restorying dominant narratives about neurodivergent individuals, positioning their natural ways of being as valid and valuable. This study explores the question of what neurodivergent representation in twenty-first century middle grade literature can become if we reject and restory the dominant narrative about neurodivergent people. Through paired analyses and (re)readings of historical texts, this dissertation reveals how racism and ableism are deeply embedded in children’s literature of the past, influencing portrayals of neurodivergent characters today. By examining the children’s book publishing industry as an exploitative, capitalist enterprise, this study highlights the social, cultural, and political contexts of middle grade literature and how the ways characters are treated in stories mirrors the treatment of neurodivergent individuals in educational, medical, and social settings. I argue that narratives authored by neurodivergent creators give presence to the neurodivergent lives excluded from popularized novels written by neurotypical authors. These narratives provide examples of restoried and reflective futures where neurodivergent characters—and young readers—thrive as the authors and protagonists of their own life stories."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Neurodivergent Narratives: Restorying Neurodiversity in Twenty-First Century Middle Grade Literature"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Paul, Lissa"],"dc:contributor.department":["Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education"],"dc:creator":["Slagus, Jennifer"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-07-21T15:17:46Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-07-21T15:17:46Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-07-21T15:17:46Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Popularized middle grade literature about neurodivergent characters, typically written by neurotypical authors, often portrays disability as a problem needing to be cured or changed. In contrast, fiction created by neurodivergent authors offers alternative perspectives, reimagining and restorying dominant narratives about neurodivergent individuals, positioning their natural ways of being as valid and valuable. This study explores the question of what neurodivergent representation in twenty-first century middle grade literature can become if we reject and restory the dominant narrative about neurodivergent people. Through paired analyses and (re)readings of historical texts, this dissertation reveals how racism and ableism are deeply embedded in children’s literature of the past, influencing portrayals of neurodivergent characters today. By examining the children’s book publishing industry as an exploitative, capitalist enterprise, this study highlights the social, cultural, and political contexts of middle grade literature and how the ways characters are treated in stories mirrors the treatment of neurodivergent individuals in educational, medical, and social settings. I argue that narratives authored by neurodivergent creators give presence to the neurodivergent lives excluded from popularized novels written by neurotypical authors. These narratives provide examples of restoried and reflective futures where neurodivergent characters—and young readers—thrive as the authors and protagonists of their own life stories."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10464/19476"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Brock University"],"dc:rights":["Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"],"dc:subject":["disability","representation","book publishing","reader response"],"dc:title":["Neurodivergent Narratives: Restorying Neurodiversity in Twenty-First Century Middle Grade Literature"],"dc:type":["Electronic Thesis or Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Faculty of Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D. Educational Studies"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:22:58Z"}