Meet our Contributor
| Katie Caprino is an Associate Professor of Education [PK-12 New Literacies] and Director of the Teaching & Learning Design Studio at Elizabethtown College, where she teaches literacy courses to pre-service teachers. She has written three co-authored books with Routledge and has published articles in ALAN and English Education. Her favorite readers are her two little boys. She can be reached at [email protected] and would love to hear from you! |  |
Representations of Neurodiverse Youth in Contemporary Middle Grades Texts
The American Psychology Association (2026) defined the term neurodiversity as “the diversity of all people, but is often used in the context of autism, as well as ADHD/ADHC (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder/condition), dyslexia, and other neurodevelopmental conditions.”
I had heard of autism. I had heard of ADHD. I had heard of dyslexia. But, to be honest, I had not heard the term neurodiverse until a few years ago.
And then, seemingly all at the same time, I started hearing the term neurodiverse all the time. At the college where I teach, we started hearing about the increasing number of neurodiverse students who were matriculating to our campus and at all colleges, so I made a concerted effort to help faculty learn how to support our neurodivergent students through instructional development sessions.
And then, seemingly all at the same time, I started hearing the term neurodiverse all the time. At the college where I teach, we started hearing about the increasing number of neurodiverse students who were matriculating to our campus and at all colleges, so I made a concerted effort to help faculty learn how to support our neurodivergent students through instructional development sessions.
The students in my literacy classes also self-identified as neurodivergent on a more frequent basis. I’ve had a few students just shout out, “I have ADHD” during our initial class meetings. I was also starting to see the ways in which their neurodiversities were impacting their academic work. I was also learning more about neurodivergence more in my personal life and beginning to see the world and schooling in ways I had not understood when I was a brand new middle school English teacher in 2005.
Since then, I have learned that the term originated in the 1990s, was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2002, and saw increased usage during the COVID pandemic (Archie, 2025).
Since then, I have learned that the term originated in the 1990s, was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2002, and saw increased usage during the COVID pandemic (Archie, 2025).
As I’m oft to do when I want to learn more, I turn to middle grades texts. These books help me learn more about the students in my classrooms and help me offer recommendations for my pre-service teachers so they can see themselves in texts and then do the same for their students.
Below, I introduce two middle grades texts, which are as unique in their methods of presentation as they are in the characters with neurodiversities they portray, and ideas for teaching these texts in either the middle grades classroom or the secondary English methods course.
Below, I introduce two middle grades texts, which are as unique in their methods of presentation as they are in the characters with neurodiversities they portray, and ideas for teaching these texts in either the middle grades classroom or the secondary English methods course.
Absolutely Everything by Damian Alexander
| Damian Alexander’s (2025) graphic novel Absolutely Everything portrays the story of sixth grader Marcella, who is having difficulties with remembering things, turning in her schoolwork on time, and maintaining friendships. What struck me about this text is that Marcella’s ADHD contributes to some of her challenges; yet, at the same time, many middle schoolers navigate through challenging friendships and not wanting to move homes (her dads move apartments in the same building, but she is quite resistant). To me, it is important to have middle grade books that feature neurodivergent protagonists who are also experiencing what neurotypical students experience. |  |
The moment during which Marcella finds out she has ADHD is remarkable for a few reasons. It normalizes appointments with mental health professionals, a middle schooler with same-sex parents, and the presentation of a diagnosis. What readers never do find out is how Marcella manages medically her ADHD. Does she take medication? Does she return to therapy? We are not quite sure.
Marcella’s internal narration allows for readers to gain a first-person perspective into ADHD. In one scene, Marcella’s thoughts reveal, “Sometimes, I feel like my head’s gonna explode from all my thoughts” (p. 56). Such insider perspective is insightful because it is often so difficult to understand experiences from those who have neurodiversities unlike those with which are familiar. Even if one reads about ADHD, for example, it does not do the same as a first-person perspective on what it means to live with it. It’s important to understand that Marcella’s experiences with ADHD, though, are not everyone’s experience with ADHD.
One of the strengths of the Absolutely Everything (Alexander, 2025) is that Marcella does not do a 180 once her diagnosis; things are still hard. She has to learn to self-advocate (e.g., talk with her teacher to move closer to the front of the room) and make time for hobbies (e.g., listening to music and painting) that make sense for her. In the final scenes of the text, Marcella presents her friend Jen with a painting of her. This is a moment of redemption because she had previously forgotten Jen’s dance recital. I absolutely love the way a piece of art becomes a symbol of Marcella’s progress and self-understanding.
Marcella’s internal narration allows for readers to gain a first-person perspective into ADHD. In one scene, Marcella’s thoughts reveal, “Sometimes, I feel like my head’s gonna explode from all my thoughts” (p. 56). Such insider perspective is insightful because it is often so difficult to understand experiences from those who have neurodiversities unlike those with which are familiar. Even if one reads about ADHD, for example, it does not do the same as a first-person perspective on what it means to live with it. It’s important to understand that Marcella’s experiences with ADHD, though, are not everyone’s experience with ADHD.
One of the strengths of the Absolutely Everything (Alexander, 2025) is that Marcella does not do a 180 once her diagnosis; things are still hard. She has to learn to self-advocate (e.g., talk with her teacher to move closer to the front of the room) and make time for hobbies (e.g., listening to music and painting) that make sense for her. In the final scenes of the text, Marcella presents her friend Jen with a painting of her. This is a moment of redemption because she had previously forgotten Jen’s dance recital. I absolutely love the way a piece of art becomes a symbol of Marcella’s progress and self-understanding.
The graphic novel genre helped contribute to the understanding of Marcella’s ADHD. Drawings of her facial expression, the speech bubbles of her classmates’ comments, and the variety of the panels’ sizes and design give readers insight into ADHD that is unlike what one can glean from a traditional prose text.
Absolutely Everything (Alexander, 2025) presents several instructional opportunities for the middle grades English classroom and an English methods course. In a middle grades classroom, I might ask students to use Absolutely Everything as a mentor text to create a graphic novel panel that portrays a neurodiverse condition with which they are personally connected to or not. I also think exploring the way Marcella’s friends reacted (“they don’t think it’s weird or anything” (Alexander, 2025, p. 195) when she told them about her diagnosis is worth pursuing. Inviting students to discuss if her friends’ reactions were surprising to them or not could be a helpful socio-emotional exercise. Finally, I would invite students to do some self-exploration into what activities they find calming. Thinking about what functions like Marcell’s art in their lives could be a productive experience.
Future middle grades teachers may benefit from reflecting on the ways in which this book makes them think about the supports they would put into place for students who have ADHD – and even those who do not. What accommodations may be helpful for a student like Marcella? How might they design their classroom to help Marcella be the most successful? Lessons on writing pedagogy could center around the essay Marcella submits. She writes about how color-coding helps her. How do we help students brainstorm topics that really matter to them? What does it mean for us to be encouraging to our students?
Absolutely Everything (Alexander, 2025) presents several instructional opportunities for the middle grades English classroom and an English methods course. In a middle grades classroom, I might ask students to use Absolutely Everything as a mentor text to create a graphic novel panel that portrays a neurodiverse condition with which they are personally connected to or not. I also think exploring the way Marcella’s friends reacted (“they don’t think it’s weird or anything” (Alexander, 2025, p. 195) when she told them about her diagnosis is worth pursuing. Inviting students to discuss if her friends’ reactions were surprising to them or not could be a helpful socio-emotional exercise. Finally, I would invite students to do some self-exploration into what activities they find calming. Thinking about what functions like Marcell’s art in their lives could be a productive experience.
Future middle grades teachers may benefit from reflecting on the ways in which this book makes them think about the supports they would put into place for students who have ADHD – and even those who do not. What accommodations may be helpful for a student like Marcella? How might they design their classroom to help Marcella be the most successful? Lessons on writing pedagogy could center around the essay Marcella submits. She writes about how color-coding helps her. How do we help students brainstorm topics that really matter to them? What does it mean for us to be encouraging to our students?
Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt
| Meg Eden Kuyatt’s (2023) novel in verse Good Different, a Schneider Family Book Award Honor winner, portrays the story of Selah, who learns that she has autism. In one poem, “My Normal-Person Mask,” Selah shares, “Pretending to be a Normal person is tiring” (p. 12). That sentence is sort of gut-wrenching for me, as it illuminates what it may feel like for neurodivergent students to expend so much energy are trying to “fit in.” One of the cool aspects to this book is Kuyatt herself identifies as a person with autism. This gives the text a certain credibility. Pushing against some of the stereotypes of autism, Selah is verbal. This presentation of a person with autism is an important one to see. |  |
Seventh grader Selah lives with her mom and attends a private school. She has a fascination with dragons because “Dragons don’t say one thing and mean another. / Dragons don’t have petty social rituals” (Kuyatt, 2023, p. 90). Contrasting her world with a dragon is such a powerful way to showcase what it may feel like to be someone with autism. Selah’s neurodiversity makes friendships and social interactions difficult, as was the case with Marcella in Absolutely Everything (Alexander, 2025). And yet, we know neurotypical kids also can struggle with friendships and social interactions at times – especially in middle school.
In a pivotal scene in the text, Selah hits a classmate Addie and is suspended. Selah did not like when Addie touched her hair and could not get any words out. Questions about what disciplinary practices make sense for students with autism is something I thought about greatly here.
Selah shares it is hard to keep everything in: “Sometimes I feel like / I’m going to burst open / the dragon inside me / hatching from its egg” (p. 45). This idea of containment is so powerful – and present in Marcella’s story as well.
In a pivotal scene in the text, Selah hits a classmate Addie and is suspended. Selah did not like when Addie touched her hair and could not get any words out. Questions about what disciplinary practices make sense for students with autism is something I thought about greatly here.
Selah shares it is hard to keep everything in: “Sometimes I feel like / I’m going to burst open / the dragon inside me / hatching from its egg” (p. 45). This idea of containment is so powerful – and present in Marcella’s story as well.
What is so tough to handle in this book is Selah’s mom’s reaction to her when she shares she thinks she has autism. After hearing a classmate talk about autism and how Selah may have it, Selah does her own research. Her mother is quite adamant that she does not have it, even when Selah brings it up at a doctor’s appointment: “There’s nothing about Selah / that looks autistic …” ( p. 211). What autism looks like is such an important point here, because autism does not look any one way.
Even though Selah’s mom’s initial reaction to autism may not have been best, it is understandable. Parents can have a challenging time admitting or knowing what their children are experiencing. Later in the text, Selah’s mom says something quite revealing: “‘I didn’t think it had a name’” (p. 239). This poignant line shows that parents and children are often progressing through the challenges of diagnoses together.
Even though Selah’s mom’s initial reaction to autism may not have been best, it is understandable. Parents can have a challenging time admitting or knowing what their children are experiencing. Later in the text, Selah’s mom says something quite revealing: “‘I didn’t think it had a name’” (p. 239). This poignant line shows that parents and children are often progressing through the challenges of diagnoses together.
What I loved about this book is similar to what I love about Absolutely Everything (Alexander, 2025). Art plays such a pivotal role in Marcella’s and Selah’s journeys. Selah writes poems to her mom, to Addie, and to the attendees at a conference. In one of her pieces, “My Case for Me,” she shares she is autistic: “I am autistic” (Kuyatt, 2023, p. 257). Later in this same point, in such a brilliant moment of self-advocacy and self-awareness, she owns her autism and eloquently pens, “If you make a little room / for my wings / I’ll fly” (p. 257). Poetry is what allows Selah to find her voice.
Holding tightly to the idea of being different is a beautiful element in this text. And it is why it is such an important work for students and adults to read. The last line of the book is so poignant: “And no matter what, don’t be afraid to be a dragon” (Kuyatt, 2023, p. 273). What a stunning final message – to readers of all ages. Be you. In all of your different, amazing ways.
Good Different (Kuyatt, 2023) presents several instructional opportunities for the middle grades English classroom and the English methods course. In a middle school, I may have students think about which real or mythical animal represents them. Selah’s dragon is so powerful for her, and inviting students to draw or write about what animal best symbolizes them could be powerful for students and teachers alike. We also see Selah’s mom struggling with understanding her condition and her adamancy that Selah “act normal.” Selah’s poems are fabulous mentor texts when having students write a poem to a family member telling them something they wish they knew about them could be a powerful exercise. Students can then choose to give that writing piece to their family member or not.
Holding tightly to the idea of being different is a beautiful element in this text. And it is why it is such an important work for students and adults to read. The last line of the book is so poignant: “And no matter what, don’t be afraid to be a dragon” (Kuyatt, 2023, p. 273). What a stunning final message – to readers of all ages. Be you. In all of your different, amazing ways.
Good Different (Kuyatt, 2023) presents several instructional opportunities for the middle grades English classroom and the English methods course. In a middle school, I may have students think about which real or mythical animal represents them. Selah’s dragon is so powerful for her, and inviting students to draw or write about what animal best symbolizes them could be powerful for students and teachers alike. We also see Selah’s mom struggling with understanding her condition and her adamancy that Selah “act normal.” Selah’s poems are fabulous mentor texts when having students write a poem to a family member telling them something they wish they knew about them could be a powerful exercise. Students can then choose to give that writing piece to their family member or not.
How Preservice Teachers Might Benefit
Preservice teachers may benefit from engaging in how to help parents best understand their child’s strengths and how to help support families who may be reticent to accept how particular accommodations may allow their children to shine in school. Researching accommodations that may be most helpful for a student like Selah could be a fruitful exercise. In addition, examining disciplinary practices for students with autism could be helpful as preservice teachers think about the ways in which they may engage with a student like Selah in their classrooms.
As always is the case, there are always more books. Middle grades books featuring characters who are neurodivergent include Alyson Gerber’s (2019) Focused, which features seventh-grader Clea who has ADHD; Dana Ram’s (2026) The In Between Kid, inspired by her child with autism; and Liz Montague’s (2022) graphic memoir Maybe an Artist about a girl with dyslexia.
I’m happy to hear about more titles and about how you are engaging with students who are neurodivergent in your classrooms! Let’s keep the conversation going!
I’m happy to hear about more titles and about how you are engaging with students who are neurodivergent in your classrooms! Let’s keep the conversation going!
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References
Alexander, D. (2023). Absolutely everything. Graphic Universe.
Archie, A. (2025). How ‘neurodivergent’ became a word for many times of minds. https://www.npr.org/2025/10/29/nx-s1-5585292/word-of-week-neurodivergent
American Psychology Association. (2026). Strength in neurodiversity. https://www.apa.org/education-career/training/supercharge-neurodiversity
Gerber, A. (2019). Focused. Scholastic.
Kuyatt, M. E. (2023). Good different. Scholastic.
Montague, L. (2022). Maybe an artist. Random House Studio.
Ram, D. (2026). The in between kid.
Alexander, D. (2023). Absolutely everything. Graphic Universe.
Archie, A. (2025). How ‘neurodivergent’ became a word for many times of minds. https://www.npr.org/2025/10/29/nx-s1-5585292/word-of-week-neurodivergent
American Psychology Association. (2026). Strength in neurodiversity. https://www.apa.org/education-career/training/supercharge-neurodiversity
Gerber, A. (2019). Focused. Scholastic.
Kuyatt, M. E. (2023). Good different. Scholastic.
Montague, L. (2022). Maybe an artist. Random House Studio.
Ram, D. (2026). The in between kid.
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