Neurodivergent Narratives: Restorying Neurodiversity in Twenty-First Century Middle Grade Literature

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.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D. Educational Studies

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Faculty of Education

Department dc:contributor.department

Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education

Grantor dc:publisher

Brock University

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Slagus, Jennifer

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Paul, Lissa

• disability
• representation
• book publishing
• reader response

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10464/19476

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:brocku.scholaris.ca:10464/19476