Scholarly Resource: Representations of Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder in Children's Literature

Leon, Roth. "Representations of Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder in Children's Literature." Journal of Attention Disorders. 1997, October. Vol. 2, No. 3. 177-196

Of the books I reviewed for disabilities, one discussed ADHD and how it affects a person's ability to concentrate which causes abnormal behavior. When reading through this book, a question that I had was whether girls or children of other races or ethnicity were ever represented in books on ADHD. While I only reviewed one book, I went online and researched other books focusing on ADHD. I was surprised to find that many of the books only depict white boys. I came across this article and thought it would interesting to read through and reflect on.

In regards to gender, the article discusses how girls with ADHD are underrepresented in children's literature and this can make it seem like only boys can have ADHD. As stated in the article, "No books could be located in the present search that had female protagonists with ADHD. The observed pattern from the children's literature strongly suggests a mandate to create more children's books featuring girls with the disorder"(179). It was also found in the article that ADHD has been "largely limited to Caucasian males, and that "there is a dire need to extend the body of knowledge on this disorder to minority samples"(179). When looking through "Why Can't Jimmy Sit Still," the main character Jimmy, who has the symptoms of ADHD, is white and male. This book was written in 2004 so it is a fairly recent book. It is essential to help students see how multiculturalism is incorporated in mental and physical impairments and that every race and sex can be disabled.

Another major point to make is how ADHD as a disorder is presented in the books analyzed. It was stated in the article that, "In general, the etiological information offered by the children's books appears to be sparse and inconsistent, and may present contradictory, confusing and/ or inadequate information about the causes of ADHD to young readers" (180). While the book I reviewed did express how ADHD is neurological, it described ADHD as, "Some kids have trouble with a 'switch' that's inside, And to control their behavior they just need a guide." While there is some explanation, it doesn't describe it in a way that is thorough and useful for students to get a good grasp on ADHD. While obviously it would be beneficial to read multiple books to create a wider range of accuracy, the article discussed how many of the books contradict themselves. Therefore, it is essential to look through the book to make sure it is a good book.

While this article is only specifying how ADHD is depicted in children's literature, this article can in many ways apply to the overall representation of people with special needs in children's literature that I observed. While it is important to discuss mental and physical impairments, it is also crucial to have male and females and as well as other races represented with the disabilities. People with disabilities come in all shapes, sizes, races, genders, and ethnicity. Therefore they should be appropriately represented in special education children's books. It seems like no matter what, it still is difficult to present different races and sexes in special needs books. While I felt the books I reviewed were all pretty good, the under representation of diversity made it not as realistic as it could have been.

Overall, I found this article to be enlightening and helped open my eyes to the segregation that special needs men and women still are facing towards their representation in children's literature.