Abstract

This study examines how girls with ADHD are depicted in contemporary picturebooks through the theoretical framework of critical disability studies (CDS). While research has increasingly explored disability representation in children's literature, depictions of girls with ADHD remain underexamined despite the ways in which ADHD manifests in female populations and the historical underdiagnosis of females with the condition. Using critical content analysis (CCA), six contemporary picturebooks featuring female protagonists with ADHD were analyzed for their visual and textual representations of neurodiversity. Findings were organized into two overarching themes: strength-based and deficit-based depictions. Strength-based portrayals emphasized creativity, identity formation through adult mentors, and the value of neurodiversity, while deficit-oriented portrayals framed ADHD as a problem to be corrected or overcome, often highlighting behavioral and social conformity. The analysis further examined the roles of adults, peers, and illustrations in shaping readers' understanding of ADHD. The findings suggest that, despite growing efforts to represent girls with ADHD in contemporary picturebooks, many texts continue to privilege deficit-based understandings and rarely depict girls as autonomous and empowered individuals capable of defining their own experiences. Future research should examine how representations of ADHD vary across gender and other intersecting identities, including race, ethnicity, and social class, as well as across a broader range of children's literature genres, formats, and search strategies.

Degree

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Teacher Education

Rights

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