13 books to use in primary school to talk about neurodiversity

What better way to champion diversity and inclusion than by celebrating some of the wonderful stories that feature autistic, ADHD, and other neurodiverse characters.

It is important that the books and stories in our schools reflect the diverse nature of neurological conditions and the many ways that our brains can differ. This isn’t just to support the children and families who have experienced neurodiversity, but also so that neuro-typical children develop empathetic understanding of these conditions and the ways in which we can support everyone to thrive. No matter the neurological type children will meet people who think in different ways as they move through life, in secondary school, college, university and the working world, so it’s important that the books in our classrooms reflect this.

Reflecting and celebrating our many differences, our strengths and our views helps to create a society that is more tolerant and respectful; one that is ready to shift and accommodate to support each other. This supports good mental health and wellbeing for all.

These books have been chosen to highlight the challenges neurodiverse people face and also to celebrate all their strengths and joys.

Bessie’s Bees by George Kirk

Age range: EYFS

A brand new story that is due for release next month, we will be putting this straight on our wish-list of books to read! We are looking forward to discovering this new tale, created alongside pediatric experts, that explores starting school with ADHD. It get bonus points too for having some ADHD myth busters and information for families on the inside back cover.

Minna’s Masks by Louise Gooding and Irina Avgustinovich.

Age Range: EYFS

A unique story about a little girl who masks when she feels unsure of how to act. The story follows Minna as she starts school, and would be a wonderful story to read together at the start of the year.

Pablo and the Noisy Party

Age range: EYFS

Written by authors on the autistic spectrum, this joyful book about supporting those around us is an authentically told story that will resonate with both neurodiverse and neurotypical children. We first read it while visiting one of our member schools, who were kind enough to show us some of the new books they’d bought recently….and we can’t turn down the opportunity to look at books!

Wriggling Words by Kate Rolfe

Age Range: KS1

A really fun book that looks at the topic of dyslexia in a heart-warming way. It was only released in February of this year, so may be one not seen in many classrooms yet!

Leo and the Octopus by Isabelle Marinov and Chris Nixon.

Age Range: KS1

We spotted this story in a book shop recently, drawn in by the beautiful colour palette (we know you shouldn’t judge a book by the cover, but sometimes they are just too enticing!) and it did not disappoint. The book follows a heart-warming story of Leo who is struggling to make sense of the world around him, until he meets Maya.

Meesha Makes Friends by Tom Percival.

Age Rage: KS1

As you know, we are already huge Tom Percival fans. In fact, we use two of his books in The Story Project curriculum because they are wonderful at making complex emotions feel simple. ‘Meesha Makes Friends’ is no exception, following a little girl as she figures out how to navigate social situations. We love this story so much that we are using it to create a very special resource for PiXL as part of our partnership with them. Member schools of both PiXL and The Story Project will be able to access this supplementary resource shortly.

Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf by Craig Barr-Green

Age Range: EYFS/KS1

A twist on a classic that your class are sure to love! Read all about Gina and her attempts to fix the mistakes that led the wolf’s demise in Little Red Riding Hood. Gina is a strong and loveable character who is determined to save the day; a real positive portrayal of an autistic character. We love how she uses emoticons to help her communicate with her teachers. Since we originally wrote this post, another Gina book has been released too. Check it out here.

This That What by Kate Ashworth

Age range KS1

A fun-filled rhyming book that follows the story of Kiki whose brain goes at a hundred miles a minute! It is a lovely celebration of neurodiverse children’s creativity and energy.

The Bad Seed/The Smart Cookie by Jory John

Age range: KS1

We have cheated slightly here because these books do not feature autistic characters specifically. However if you’ll allow us a slight exception, these books are brilliant because they encapsulate the experiences of any child that feels as though they learn differently or have been labeled as ‘naughty’ when in fact their needs were just misunderstood. We have included both titles because they could be used in tandem to talk about learning styles and being yourself. We have a resource available for Story Project member schools based on ‘The Bad Seed’, which you can access here.

Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beaty

Age range KS1/KS2

Ok, so we are a little biased about this one because it is a book we love so dearly that we use it in our Story Project curriculum! It is a beautiful story of celebrating our strengths and serves as inspiration for how accommodating different learning styles supports children to thrive. The story features Aaron who struggles to write due to his dyslexia but finds his real strength in drawing.

Finding My Voice a book by Aoife Dooley.

Age Range: KS2 (perfect for Year 6!)

Another of our most favourite of books, and one we use with Year 6 in our Story Project curriculum. This graphic novel is told with humour and gentleness, supporting children to celebrate their own unique voices and overcome some of the challenges of starting secondary school. Like many of the stories in this list it features a main character with autism.

A Kind of Spark a book by Elle McNicoll.

Age Range: KS2

A engaging story about a young girl, with autism, who campaigns for a memorial in her town to commemorate the witch trials that took place in her home town. Can Addie convince the town to hear her voice?