DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptomology in Fictional Picture Books
Jane E. Kelley, Teresa A. Cardon, and Dana Algeo-Nichols
Abstract: In the last decade, schools have seen an increasing number of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the current estimated average of children in the United States who are diagnosed with an ASD is one out of 68 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). One way for educators and elementary students to learn about ASD is through picture books; however, there have been a dearth of close examinations of books with characters that have autism. A content analysis of 15 fictional narrative picture books yielded data consisting of 178 symptoms that were identified based on the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) (2013) DSM-5 (2013). Each symptom was isolated and coded utilizing seven diagnostic criteria. Results indicate that 38% of the symptoms presented in the picture books represent social communication deficits and 62% represent the presence of atypical or repetitive behaviors. Educators, such as regular classroom practitioners and special education teachers working with heterogeneous groups of children, are urged to use a variety of books that accurately represent all symptoms of ASD to encourage peer sensitivity and awareness of classmates with ASD. Teacher educators, specifically those instructors who train speech and language pathologists and special education teachers, are urged to use picture books with characters that have autism as an introduction to identifying symptoms of ASD.