Repositioning Disability in Children’s Picture Books Through Classroom Read-Alouds

Abstract

Students with disabilities represent an increasing percentage of students in general education classrooms. Yet, in early elementary grades, they may not see themselves represented in picture books. Teachers face many challenges in this issue, including choosing and evaluating books. In this article, we provide six questions to guide teachers' evaluations of picture books. We also recommend the use of these books in class read alouds that meet Common Core State Standards, and provide a guide for using these books to monitor a student's progress toward mastery of individualized education program (IEP) goals.

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

“…Growing concerns have been raised by autistic and non‐autistic voices that some books—though well intentioned—completely “miss the mark” and may even do harm to autistic children and the broader autism community (F.R.B, 2020; Gaffney & Wilkins, 2016; J.S, 2022; Kleekamp & Zapata, 2019; Morton & Morton, 2016b). Given the vastly different themes that emerge across different books, 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—perhaps by considering some of the specific guidelines and recommendations that have been put forward (Fries, 2017; Gaffney & Wilkins, 2016; Kleekamp & Zapata, 2019; Prince & Hayden, 2022). The ability to make informed choices will be supported by research that quantitatively and qualitatively analyzes the content of children's books about autism (Azano et al, 2017; Lemoine & Schneider, 2021).…”

“…Another important neurodiversity‐related consideration is agency—the extent to which autistic characters make their own decisions, play an active role in their lives, and impact the world around them (Donaldson et al, 2017; Haggard & Tsakiris, 2009; Kapp et al, 2013; Prince & Hayden, 2022). Autistic agency illustrates empowerment and self‐determination—key components of neurodiversity and strengths‐based approaches to autism (Botha & Gillespie‐Lynch, 2022; Donaldson et al, 2017; Dyches et al, 2001; Hayden & Prince, 2020).…”

The Artistic Space of the Topic of Inclusion in the Literature of Ukraine

“…In our opinion, literary works depicting characters with disabilities should be carefully selected and only then become available for reading in kindergartens, classrooms, classroom libraries, etc. As a result, teachers need to critically evaluate inclusive literature (Prince & Hayden, 2021) based on pre-established criteria (Rieger, 2010). The same applies to parents (Alzahrani, 2020;Kefallinou et al, 2020), who shape the worldview of the child and his/her attitude to the surrounding environment at home.…”

“…Considering the relevance and importance of literature about people with disabilities, a number of authors have researched examples of inclusive children's literature in England (Beckett et al, 2010), Greece (Monoyiou & Symeonidou, 2016), France (Lemoine & Schneider, 2021), Mexico (Aho & Alter, 2018), Brazil (Souza & Rodrigues, 2021), Slovenia (Batič & Haramija, 2013),Turkey (Gonen et al, 2015), America (Hayden & Prince, 2020), Northwest Arkansas (Thompson, 2018), Spain (Pulido & Ruiz-Seisdedos, 2018) and other countries (Kristanti, 2016;Solis, 2004;Gilmore & Howard, 2016). Some part of the research concerned the measures aimed at engaging children in reading literature (Rieger & McGrail, 2015), as well as the factors of using children's literature effectively (Adam, 2021), including reading aloud (Wilkins et al, 2016;Prince & Hayden, 2021).…”

Strategies for Teachers Who Face Opposition to Reading Disability Literature With Children

“…Second, schools may mirror the larger society and position students with disabilities as "less than" their peers without disabilities (Prince & Hayden, 2021). As such, reading children's books that positively represent disability can serve as a catalyst for conversations among teachers, children, and families to support strengths-based and anti-ableist perspectives toward disabilities.…”