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 [...]
(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, [...]
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? 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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Children's author and autism advocate Sally J. Pla speaks with Reading Rockets / WNET about neurodiversity and children's books.
Many of us, especially those of us with underrepresented identities, often describe the "first time I saw myself in a book" as a moment of magic. A rite of passage, a life-changing, validating moment. We talk of mirror-books, window-books: [...]