Why Isabel Feels Invisible
When I was a kid, I’d beg and cry every morning not to be sent to school. It was a small suburban K-6 with perfectly nice teachers. To any outsider, it would look great. But to me, it felt like [...]
Children’s Novels Depicting Real Adversity – and Hope
I wrote the below post for Shepherd, but I'd like to share it with you here, too. I went through some very tough times growing up. I was an undiagnosed autistic teen, terribly shy, with no real guidance, and I [...]
Maudie McGinn and Me: Navigating Neurodivergence
(This post originally appeared on TeachingBooks.net) I sometimes joke that, back in the day, I wasn’t a kid, so much as a bunch of disorders in a trench coat. I had quite a few social and sensory challenges going on, [...]
What Are Some Symptoms of Autism?
My first child collected matchbox cars. He wouldn't play with them by zooming them around or crashing them into each other. He mainly just lined them up. He loved lining up his cars and other toys so much. There [...]
What does Neurodiversity mean?
What does Neurodiversity mean? Having different brain-wiring. Maybe it's ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia. Or interoceptive, sensory, or auditory processing differences. Or Tourettes, or epilepsy. Or some strange combo deal - a pinch of this, a dash of that - that [...]
You will be many things, in your lifetime.
Young friends, I want to tell you that life is not a race, and you are not "behind." I want to tell you that you may be many things in your lifetime. You may not always have full control over [...]
The importance of showing up.
Came across an old journal. I guess I took these notes while at a SCBWI (Society of Childrens Writers and Illustrators) conference, quite a few years ago. That lightbulb on the page? It marks the first moment I got the [...]
WHERE IDEAS COME FROM: A “Stanley” Interview
Writer friends, and Stanley fans, this post is for you! I recently had such a fun chat with author/writing coach Michele Regenold. We did a Q+A about the structure in Stanley Will Probably Be Fine. (Note: If you haven’t read [...]
The human brain is a storytelling brain.
Children's author and autism advocate Sally J. Pla speaks with Reading Rockets / WNET about neurodiversity and children's books.