Using Picture Books to Create Peer Awareness About Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Inclusive Classroom

Abstract

Students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may exhibit behaviors that can negatively affect peer relationships. A process for raising awareness about this exceptionality to their peers can build a foundation for authentic inclusion in the classroom environment. This article suggests that deliberately planned interventions using picture books to create peer awareness can be implemented through a step-by-step decision-making process. Criteria is provided regarding the process of book choice and related instructional considerations to assist educators in making essential decisions about the implementation of peer awareness for young students with ASD.

Keywords

awareness inclusion peer autism picture books

Inclusive classrooms support and educate students with diverse learning styles and a range of strengths and needs. Within this diversity, students with a variety of exceptionalities learn together as a community with their peers in neighborhood schools. For true empathy, acceptance, and belonging to occur in an authentic way with peers who may have questions about special needs, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD), a need for diversity education for all students has emerged (Bennett & Dworet, 2008; Iaquinta & Hipsky, 2006; Timmons, Breintenbach, & MacIsaac, n.d.). The influence of peer groups grows in importance as students mature; and consequently, children with disabilities may become socially isolated over time even in inclusive classrooms. This warrants a proactive, educational approach for explaining exceptionalities to peers with honesty, accuracy, empathy, and acceptance. Boutot (2007) explained that this acceptance of children with disabilities is a precursor to the growth of friendships and that the collaboration of teachers is key in guiding such acceptance.

Peer education for classmates of students with ASD can be practically managed in the classroom on two complementary levels: that of peer awareness, or teaching students about disabilities; and subsequent peer support by providing opportunities for school-based inclusion. The first step, that of peer awareness, can be thought of as the foundation to inclusion in the classroom, paving the way for further direct interventions and opportunities. Peer awareness can be nurtured using common instructional strategies and familiar classroom resources. Examples of resources and strategies involve experiential learning, audiovisual materials focused on ASD, and both nonfiction and fiction books (Carlson, 2001; Forgan, 2002; Maich & Kean, 2004).

Utilizing fictional materials (i.e., children’s picture books) to engage peer awareness of disabilities, including ASD, is supported within the general field of bibliotherapy and is appropriate for primary-aged children from preschool to the late primary years. More specifically, the use of books for social and/or emotional problem solving is outlined in the practice of developmental bibliotherapy, where everyday issues may be resolved through the indirect experiences of book characters (Carlson, 2001; Forgan, 2002; Peter, 1998; Sullivan & Strang, 2002/2003). The practice of bibliotherapy stipulates that the best foundation for its implementation consists of establishing (a) rapport; (b) a comfort level; and (c) a sufficient knowledge level about young learners’ reading, language, and literature (Carlson, 2001). For young children, such practice can include picture books that focus on the lives of characters with ASD. Boutot (2007) suggested that discussions can be initiated using story books with characters who are depicted as “atypical” in the way they move, act, or even learn. Such instructional strategy can help to begin conversations about the characteristics of ASD.

Good quality children’s literature that both directly and indirectly addresses the characteristics of ASD has continued to grow in its availability and importance. “Although stories focusing on ASD or its related characteristics are not prolific, a growing body of research is emerging . . . narratives presented early in life, then, form an indelible imprint on the mind of the child” (Belcher & Maich, 2010, para. 4). When resources relating to ASD are used in the classroom, they become a tool for best practice in inclusive classrooms related to ASD, and enhance another best practice: providing peers of students with ASD with information that is accurate (Timmons, Breintenbach, & MacIsaac, n.d.).

Before embarking on a successful program of using picture books for the specific purpose of encouraging peer awareness, however, it is essential to carefully consider practical planning issues that relate to the choice and implementation of these resources. When the emphasis for peer awareness is on an individual student rather than diversity awareness in general, confidentiality must be addressed. Collaboration with parents is essential before implementing this series of steps. Parents must be informed and welcoming partners in this venture and provide informed parental consent for such a program to be put in place. Educators should refer to their local school practices and policies, collaborate with school administrators, and carefully align their plans to meet with local privacy laws and any other related legislation, always keeping the child’s best interests in mind.

Story Selection Tools

Before using a picture book to inform peers of students with ASD about this exceptionality, a suitable resource must be found. This task can feel overwhelming at first, but many convenient resources already exist that may help in the prioritization and selection of stories related to social, emotional, behavioral issues, or areas of disability, like ASD. For educators planning peer awareness, it is simply a matter of taking advantage of one or more of these tools.

For example, such a process may be as simple as utilizing a publisher’s catalogue as a starting place. Alternatively, annotated bibliographies provide access to literature suggestions organized by themes or issues related to children’s development (Maich & Kean, 2004). One example of such a resource is A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children’s Picture Books (Lima & Thomas, 2010). Another possibility is Sensitive Issues: An Annotated Guide to Children’s Literature K-6 (Rasinski & Gillespie, 1992).

Online searches are another practical alternative. Using a generalized online search engine such as Google combined with, for example, the appropriate keywords (e.g., awareness, inclusion, peer, autism, and/or picture books) is one possibility. Such a search, however, will locate all available resources found online, which will result in a vast range of potential results (e.g., newsletter articles, government publications, book titles). Even if the search is limited by using the books choice in the search engine’s tabs, information as to the source and credibility of each suggested resource is only available through a resource-by-resource critique. As a superior accessible alternative, consider searching within an online bookstore or publisher’s website. Using well-known online bookstores such as Amazon.com will inherently limit search results to professionally produced resources, as well as provide easily available consumer reviews. Using these or similar tools to help narrow the range of topical literature will assist in a best-fit match between a picture book about ASD and the specific learning situation at hand. Using such strategies will help make this correlation in an effective and efficient manner.

Even with the use of book selection tools, a solid starting place may be helpful in narrowing the task of story selection for peer awareness. Local advocacy groups may suggest book lists available, and/or local publishers may recommend popular titles. Belcher and Maich (2010), for example, posed recommendations from their initial pilot study of children’s picture books focused on ASD from the past two decades. Children’s picture book selections were chosen through a careful examination, comparison and contrast of varied characteristics such as social content, issue focus, representation of the child, and literary features. A selection of their findings, shown in Table 1, includes a variety of works across date of publication, theme, and genre.

Table 1.

Children’s Picture Book Suggestions for Peer Awareness for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

Author	Short title	Year	Publisher
Altman, A.	Waiting for Benjamin	2008	Albert Whitman
Elder, J.	Different Like Me	2006	Jessica Kingsley
Ely, L.	Looking After Louis	2004	Albert Whitman
Lears, L.	Ian’s Walk	1998	Albert Whitman
Luchsinger, D.	Playing by the Rules	2007	Woodbine
Shapiro, O.	Autism and Me	2009	Albert Whitman
Thompson, M.	Andy and His Yellow Frisbee	1996	Woodbine
Van Nierkerk, C., & Venter, L.	Understanding Sam and Asperger Syndrome	2006	Skeezel
Veenendall, J.	Why Does Izzie Cover Her Ears?	2009	Autism Asperger
Veenendall, J.	Arnie and His School Tools	2008	Autism Asperger

Direct Labeling

Once resources and strategies for developing peer awareness have been selected as possibilities, a forthcoming consideration is the presence or absence of labels and diagnostic-specific terminology. Various children’s picture books address ASD quite directly and use diagnostic labels. Others avoid such direct teaching about ASD. One example of this is the use of diagnostic language labeling regarding the subtype of ASD known as autistic disorder, which is used deliberately throughout Ian’s Walk: A Story About Autism (Lears, 1998). Another example can be found in the use of the label Asperger’s disorder, found in Understanding Sam and Asperger Syndrome (Van Niekerk & Venters, 2006). In these stories, it is clear that such direct labels are accepted and communicated as part of knowing and understanding ASD.

Indirect Terminology

In contrast, children’s books that address characteristics related to ASD but avoid using such direct terminology also exist, but are found less frequently. One example of this approach that only references ASD in comments beyond the story itself is Looking After Louis (Ely, 2004). Although this picture book does not use diagnostic terminology, the characteristics of ASD (e.g., echolalia) in the main character, are clearly represented.

Overall, there is no correct or incorrect approach to the use of labels in peer awareness; rather, considering the comfort and wishes of the parent and/or child, as appropriate, is paramount (Hamilton Health Sciences, 2007). It is essential to preview the text and carefully attend to the labels and language used to consider how the terminology of a potential book fits in with the view of ASD you are seeking to share.

The Wider Context

Within the process of previewing a book for peer awareness, be sure to also examine the surrounding context in the book. Be aware of the presence of family, friends, siblings, support workers, or a specific strength or challenge in the story or illustrations. If the peer awareness selection is intended to educate peers about the needs of a specific student with ASD in the classroom, a closer alignment with one particular situation is more necessary than if the goal of peer awareness is understanding disability, or diversity, in general.

For more specific needs, seek out a story that mirrors questions other students may have thought about but may not have expressed. Examples would be questions about the nature of specific communication differences (e.g., the use of visuals to communicate), social challenges (e.g., difficulty making friends), behaviors (e.g., an intense interest in one subject), or sensory issues (e.g., oversensitivity environmental such as Why Does Izzy Cover Her Ears? Dealing With Sensory Overload (Veenendall, 2009).

Similarly, if the student of focus is supported by an educator with a special role (e.g., special education teacher, educational assistant, or therapist), a parallel story depicting an adult in such a role can help explain and even initiate questions and new insights (e.g., Waiting for Benjamin: A Story About Autism by Altman, 2008). If the siblings of a child with ASD are struggling with a lack of peer empathy, a positive story from the perspective of a sibling of a child with ASD may be a good choice, such as the portrayal of struggle, care, and love depicted in Ian’s Walk: A Story About Autism (Lears, 1998).

Finding Positive Perspective

When previewing picture books to seek examples of diversity in the characteristics of ASD, do not forget to seek out the positives. Positive examples that have proactive culminations to struggle do exist. These positives may be helpful in shaping attitudes of peers who may see the struggles in ASD, but who do not seem to understand or express the many positives found in children with ASD. Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes (Elder, 2006) is an example of focusing on the positive found in ASD. It blends a historical and biographical perspective with a focus on ASD being a difference, but one that can create heroes who have special contributions to society. Larson’s I Am Utterly Unique (2006) similarly celebrates the uniqueness, differences, and strengths of children with ASD through an alphabet book. When choosing a picture book, seek out a context that aligns with the awareness you are attempting to create, including the positive input of peers with ASD.

Pictorial and Literary Value

No story is neutral. Each well-written story has potential to reflect the experiences of children and their concerns and also take a step further to “help readers gain a deeper understanding of themselves and others” (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, 1999, p. 1). Each picture book considered for a peer-awareness lesson has a history, represents a literary artifact and ideally should also present a well written model of the intended message. It is important that the quality of the book be appealing enough for educators to want to use it, and for students to want to attend to it. According to Iaquinta and Hipsky (2006), both the background of the author and the perspective of the author can create either a more significant impact or trivialize the impact of a story. In a pilot study survey of 23 picture books for children on the topic of ASD written since 1996 (Belcher & Maich, 2010), 14 were written by parents, siblings, or grandparents as individual authors. The remaining 9 were written by professionals or with professional organizations, as a team. Although parents typically bring the home and school life into focus in their stories, other authors may be more prone to extend this across the community, thus preparing the child for the larger fabric of social life. Thinking about the author’s perspective and what impact this may have on students is also important when previewing possible book choices.

It is also important to consider that ASD is often described as a hidden disability that is not easy to depict in illustrations. Although ASD itself may be more difficult to visually depict than other areas of exceptionality, illustrations in picture books are important and should be considered as part of their overall quality. Consider if the illustrations add to or distract from the key message in the book. For example, in Andy and His Yellow Frisbee (Thompson, 1996), water colors illustrate key points of the story while the print is on the left hand side of the page. Both illustrations and text combine to promote greater understanding of the story. A mismatch between illustration and text, on the other hand, can suggest attention to stereotyping or tokenism, which Iaquinta and Hipsky (2006) advocate circumventing. The presence of children who have disabilities in roles of either action and/or leadership should be sought.

Curricular Considerations

Pragmatically, plans to use picture books to develop peer awareness for a child with ASD do not have to be considered as an addition to, or as external to, existent curricula. Such a focus on awareness, diversity, and/or disability is inherent to many academic goals and should be considered a natural part of classroom routines (Maich & Kean, 2004; Sullivan & Strang, 2002/2003). For example, developing awareness of, respect for, and understanding of diversity is a goal of education that continues from a preschool program (Best Start Expert Panel on Early Learning, 2006) to a senior high social studies and humanities curriculum (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2000). Good planning can support ongoing goals and expectations across a range of topic areas, always as a well-integrated extension of the curriculum (Sullivan & Strang, 2002/2003, p. 76). Another perspective is considering social, emotional, and behavioral needs as part of a wider emphasis on educating the whole child as part of personal and developmental goals which supersede the curriculum; or at minimum, become a part of individualized programs (Maich, 2010).

Participation Possibilities

Once an appropriate resource has been selected and an appropriate fit with classroom routine has been delineated, it is important to initiate a planning meeting with parents to decide if the child with ASD should be an active part of reading ASD-related picture books, be in the classroom while sessions are ongoing, or not be present at all (Timmons, Breintenbach, & MacIsaac, n.d.). This may depend on a number of factors, including the student’s own knowledge of ASD, his or her functioning level and wishes, and perhaps what Ulrich and Bauer (2003) referred to as the parent’s levels of awareness.

Ulrich and Bauer (2003) provided an alternative to the pathway parents travel when raising a child with a disability. They conceptualized this journey in four stages: (a) the ostrich level of little understanding, experience, or acceptance; (b) the special designation level of recognizing and seeking services to support their child’s special need; (c) the normalization level or phase of seeking acceptance in their child’s life; and (d) the self-actualization level, where acceptance, reality, diversity, and learning about disabilities become characterized. It is quite clear that those reaching the later level of this model are likely to be a better fit with the advent of a deliberate program of peer awareness to include the child with ASD.

One question that is important to ask in a peer awareness planning checklist is, “How would you see the peer awareness sessions being delivered in your classroom/school?” (Hamilton Health Sciences, 2007, p. 1). Choices include (a) the delivery of peer awareness through the use of external consultants, (b) eventually shift of responsibility to school staff after an initiation by external consultations, (c) collaboration between external consultants and school staff, or (d) preparation support by external consultants and delivery by school staff. School staff are not limited only to classroom, special education, or resource teachers, but can also include the support and/or delivery by others involved with the needs of the child, including the social-emotional realm, such as school counselors and librarians (Davis & Wilson, 1992). Other choices are the direct involvement of the parents, volunteer, or advocacy groups in ASD, as well as students.

Instructional Approaches

As with other planned instruction activities, being deliberate and prepared in instructional planning is the next step in using picture books to support the growth and development of peer awareness regarding ASD. As mentioned earlier in this article, bibliotherapy provides one way to utilize children’s picture books for social, emotional and behavioral goals. Bibliotherapy can be defined succinctly as using books for problem solving (Aiex, 1993), and it can be framed within a general framework encompassing (a) preparation and planning, (b) story reading, (c) discussions, and (d) related activities (Maich & Kean, 2004). Ensuring that the teacher is ready for such use of picture books includes the use of the following resources and strategies: “an appropriate environment; a specified emotional issue; an annotated bibliography; a well developed lesson plan; an appropriate story; a reinforcing activity” (Maich & Kean, 2004, p. 6).

An example of a general bibliotherapeutic approach to providing classwide peer awareness about a general transitory issue is the use of Selina and the Bear Paw Quilt (Smucker, 1995). This story presents a challenge (in this case, moving) in a way that has the potential to be beneficial for many children in the class, not just the child who is the focus of the bibliotherapy (Harlacher, Roberts, & Merrell, 2006). In this case, the teacher may be focusing on one of the potential benefits of bibliotherapy, knowing that others have faced problems such as moving (Forgan, 2002). She would have carefully chosen this particular book after reviewing appropriate potential literature selections and have linked the content of the story with the background knowledge of her students through prereading strategies (e.g., discussion) (Bibliotherapy Step 1) before moving on to a “uninterrupted teacher-led reading” (Maich & Kean, 2004, p. 7) with brief individual responses (e.g. journal entries) (Bibliotherapy Step 2). Next, she likely would lead a class discussion, perhaps considering the problems presented and solved, and emotional situations that arose throughout its reading (Bibliotherapy Step 3). Finally, she would design a follow-up activity focused on the story’s emotional content, and taking the student’s personal challenges into account (Bibliotherapy Step 4). More specifically:

[The] teacher could decide to involve all students in her class in what she entitles “Treasures in Trips” . . . she may ask her students to plan a trip as the story character did, and to draw a map of a journey while focusing on specifying all the treasures that can be found along the way during such a moving adventure, such as wildlife sightings, artifact collecting, landmark viewing, and new friends [Bibliotherapy Step 4]. In this way, [the] teacher can emphasize social and emotional growth, and [the student] and her peers can simultaneously meet language arts objectives. (Maich & Kean, 2004, p. 9)

Putting a Plan in Place

Such a bibliotherapeutic approach can be personalized to meet the needs of a peer awareness program within the instructional component of peer awareness. Before such implementation of instruction, however, specific steps for using picture books to create peer awareness about ASD need to be considered. The following example presents a hypothetical case study of a student named Violet, to illustrate instructional implementation of planning for peer awareness in the classroom which incorporates bibliotherapeutic principles (see Note 1). An examination of the decision-making process of Violet’s teacher helps to illustrate the steps which conclude with instructional implementation. Following a similar pathway will help in detailing your plans for peer awareness.

Violet is a soccer-loving 6-year-old primary student who is in the middle of her Grade 1 year. She learns every day in a busy, inclusive classroom in an active downtown school. Her classroom is full of diversity in many ways, including family, appearance, culture, and socioeconomic status; and Violet’s teacher has responded accordingly with teaching in a flexible, differentiated manner integrated with a play-based approach to reach the needs of all her learners. Violet is a girl who has been diagnosed with autism, needs the support of an educational assistant, and often has prominent behaviors that draw the attention and interest of her classmates. Throughout the months leading to this point, Violet’s class has expressed an increasing number of disgruntled questions about why Violet seems to get so many “special things,” why she doesn’t have to “follow the rules,” and why she “repeats things” that others have said. Violet’s peers are starting already to shy away from play with Violet at the learning centers and outside on the playground. Along with Violet’s parents, Violet’s teacher thinks it is time to talk about some of these issues with Violet’s peers as a whole class. Violet’s teacher followed suggestions by her school’s special education resource teacher, and began her peer awareness planning, individualizing the steps to suit her needs and situation.

Story selection tools

Violet’s teacher sat down at the staff room’s computer during planning time. Although she did not have ready access to a larger library to review hard copies of children’s picture books related to ASD, her school’s principal assured her that there was still some money in the budget for supporting students with special needs and she would consider a proposal to purchase some picture books for the use of her classroom. Violet logged on to amazon.com, clicked on <search> for <books> and typed in <autism> and <echolalia> in the search bar. Unfortunately, all her results were professional and parenting guides and not picture books so she tried again with <autism> and <children’s books>, which provided a much more promising list. Still overwhelmed by the volume of choices, she tried a search for one suggested by her school’s librarian: Looking After Louis (Ely, 2004). Using Amazon’s “Look Inside!” feature, she began a careful examination at her first possible choice of children’s picture books to provide peer awareness around ASD.

Direct labeling and indirect terminology

Due to the young age of Violet and her classmates, Violet’s teacher and Violet’s parents felt there was no need to explain words like autism and socialization to the class at this point. Keeping a careful eye on terminology, Violet’s teacher saw words and phrases in the introduction of Looking After Louis, such as autistic and disabled (which she did not like), empathy and respect (which she did like), and further noticed that the word autism was not used anywhere in the text of the story, which she mentally checked off as a positive feature of this book as a possibility for her future lessons.

The wider context

After finding out that Looking After Louis was available through a mobile media services library, Violet’s teacher eagerly took her first opportunity to read the story. She noticed a few things that stood out: Louis had support educators working with him; Louis was in a physically and socially inclusive classroom; Louis had echolalia, judging from his repetition of language; and Louis’s exceptionality sometimes necessitated more attention and rewards from the educators in the classroom. Violet’s teacher mentally checked off more plusses for implementing this book into her classroom.

Finding positive perspective

Violet’s teacher was reminded that issues are not the only characteristics of a book to consider, and she began to deliberately look for positives that aligned with Violet’s situation. She noted that Louis, the main character, liked soccer—just like Violet—and that his peers responded very positively to him with support. She thought, in general, the book depicted Louis not as an outsider but as a different sort of insider.

Pictorial and literary value

Violet’s teacher spent some time looking carefully at the illustrations in the book and wondering what message they might give. Although she was a bit taken aback by the behaviors depicted in some illustrations, she also thought they were colorful, engaging, and provided a positive view of independence. For example, the educator shown in this story was often standing near Louis and ready for intervention, rather than sitting beside Louis. This cemented her decision to begin with Looking After Louis as her first book to teach peer awareness.

Curricular considerations

Violet’s teacher carefully considered where her plans for peer awareness could fit into her curriculum and her daily planning. Because she already devoted a block of instruction time to literacy every morning, which always included both student-led and teacher-led reading, she though that including Looking After Louis would be a best fit in her early morning literacy block, where she would have the time and flexibility for classwide discussion and related literacy-based learning activities.

Participation possibilities

Together, Violet’s parents and teacher decided that Violet would enjoy the peer awareness process, and because Looking After Louis did not address autism in the story itself, she felt that Violet should be present during the peer awareness session. Violet’s teacher was quite comfortable with her class, instructional strategies, and using children’s literature to support the curriculum, but she was less comfortable with her knowledge around the topic of autism. It was collaboratively decided that Violet’s teacher would deliver the peer awareness lesson, with one of Violet’s parents present for engaging any more specific questions that may arise.

Instructional approaches

Violet’s teacher decided to follow the four-step bibliotherapeutic framework and wrote up her plan to include a prereading discussion on ways we are the same, and how we are different. She considered using Dr. Seuss’s The Sneetches, which depicts differences and discrimination through cartoon characters who have stars on their bellies, as a jumping-off point to this topic. Her next planned step was to read the story in its entirety, and then pause for a class discussion on behaviors that are seen in the book and how the class should react to them. Upon moving on to the book Looking After Louis, the class community could discuss the text that states that Louis is “not like the rest of us.” She thought they would enjoy imitating some of the behaviors depicted in the illustrations to get them actively involved. Next, she decided to follow up this first peer awareness lesson by introducing visual journals to represent inclusion and exclusion in the classroom as an inclusive exercise (Wheeler & Carter, 1998). At the primary school level, visual journals involve a one-page collage stemming from student reflection upon a story and result in an individual’s visual representation of what has been learned. (See destinyvoyages.com/visualjournals.htm for examples of visual journals in general.)

Putting a plan in place

Violet’s teacher was very excited and positive about this collaborative and careful planning process, and began looking forward to her kick-off lesson on peer awareness. She felt she was just at a starting place in addressing these practical planning issues, but already the process had helped her to become more professionally aware of ASD; more familiar with a range of children’s literature; and had taught her to use picture books to address social, emotional, behavioral and diversity issues in the classroom. She hoped to share her experiences at her next staff meeting and help someone else begin the process of teaching peer awareness through children’s picture books.

Conclusion

The use of picture books to support the development of peer awareness in the inclusive classrooms of children with ASD relies on the foundations of familiar and comfortable skills already present in the classroom environment (Sullivan & Strang, 2002/2003). Suggestions for the processes of using picture books exist. Tools for finding effective stories exist. However, careful consideration must be given to a range of emphases and options within this growing number of stories depicting characters with ASD. This article has suggested 10 practical planning steps for examining and/or implementing the use of picture books to nurture peer friendships and inclusive community in the contemporary classroom. These steps included (a) story selection tools, (b) direct labeling, (c) indirect terminology, (d) the wider context, (e) finding positive perspective, (f) pictorial and literary value, (g) curricular considerations, (h) participation possibilities, (i) instructional approaches, and (j) putting a plan in place. As educators carefully attend to the details in instruction guided by academic curriculum, so must similar thoughtfulness be given to the planning and delivery of peer awareness, which is both subsumed within, and transcends, that academic curriculum to meet the needs of the whole child and school community.

Footnotes

The author(s) declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

The author(s) received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.

Notes

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