Analyzing the Portrayal of Characters With Reading Difficulties in Realistic Fiction

Abstract

Teachers can connect adolescents with contemporary realistic fiction that features positive representations of characters with reading difficulties.

A School Story, Not a Student Story: The Dyslexic Diagnosis Paradigm in Children’s and Young Adult Literature

“…While this debate is ongoing within dyslexia studies, I follow other education researchers who continue to use the term dyslexia. Although sometimes referred to as a learning difference, challenge, or difficulty (Jozwik and Rice, 2020), I continue to consider dyslexia a learning disability as people with dyslexia are continually placed in disabling environments.…”

“…In examining narratives featuring characters with dyslexia, this study diverges from past research methods on the same subject. Past studies featured a mix of qualitative and quantitative analysis interested in quantifiable representations and identifying the frequency of common traits (Dyches et al, 2001;Prater, 2003;Altieri, 2008;Jozwik and Rice 2020). A common criterion previous studies searched for is the presence of dynamic change or growth in characters with dyslexia (Dyches et al, 2001;Jozwik and Rice 2020).…”

“…Past studies featured a mix of qualitative and quantitative analysis interested in quantifiable representations and identifying the frequency of common traits (Dyches et al, 2001;Prater, 2003;Altieri, 2008;Jozwik and Rice 2020). A common criterion previous studies searched for is the presence of dynamic change or growth in characters with dyslexia (Dyches et al, 2001;Jozwik and Rice 2020). Dynamic characters are considered positive representations, and, compared to other disabilities, dyslexia and other specific learning disabilities are some of the best portrayed (Leininger et al, 2010, p. 590).…”

“…Ally fits this role, turning her misreading into a 'purposeful' prank (Hunt, 2015, p. 22), a tactic also used by Stupid's Martin (Firmston, 2016, p. 71). Bullying is also a common experience (Prater, 2003;Jozwik and Rice, 2020); even without a label, Autumn's classmates shame her for her academic failure in Nowhere (Sigafus, 2019, p. 31).…”

“…As many people with dyslexia first encounter the written word in school, this often-attenuated process of recognition and diagnosis becomes an integral part of the dyslexic experience. While various scholars have analysed representations of dyslexia in children's and young adult fiction (Prater, 2003;Altieri, 2008;Leininger et al, 2010) and some celebrate the positive and dynamic representations of characters with dyslexia (Dyches et al, 2001;Jozwik and Rice, 2020), none have focused on how diagnosis remains overly represented or how these representations actively reinforce the system which disables them. I argue that the school story encourages what I call the 'dyslexic diagnosis paradigm': a re-occurring narrative structure which features a dyslexic character undergoing diagnosis to receive accommodations so they may succeed within the educational system.…”