Mama, Why Can't I Read? - Learning Disabilities in Children's Picture Books

by

Jackelyne Gudz

Children's picture books provide the preliminary foundation for young readers to develop cognitive reading skills and a strong attachment and devotion to literature. The primary objective of this particular category of literature is to provide the opportunity for emergent readers to acquire language and an awareness of various social, emotional and world issues. In addition, picture books allow readers to develop essential interpersonal skills such as empathy and acceptance of individual differences. Although picture books are theoretically, intended for the general population, there are few picture books for other groups, particularly those with learning disabilities (LD). In fact, most picture books discriminate against this sector of the population in two particular ways. For instance, some picture book authors presume that certain codes, which are basic to picture book literacy can be understood by all children, and secondly that struggling learners are catered to by the few books that include or incorporate learning disability narratives or themes. Many picture books incorporate discriminatory structures and present a nearly unilateral representation of learning disabilities; this literary field is not inclusive and has a somewhat flawed understanding and representation of readers with LD.

Children with various learning disabilities have explicit and reasonably well understood exceptional learning needs that picture book authors should consider when creating books for children. The learning disability association of Canada defines learning disabilities as a spectrum disorder resulting from genetically and neurologically based impairments that affect precise cognitive processes such as "acquisition, organization, retention, and understanding or use of verbal or nonverbal information" (Learning Disability Association of Canada). The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) has classified LD into four disorders, reading disorder (Dyslexia) mathematics disorder (Dyscalculia), disorder of the written expression (Dysgraphia), and learning disorders not otherwise specified (DSM IV-TR 39). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) are also comorbid with learning disabilities. The cognitive difficulties experienced by children with LD that relates to the process of reading includes the inability to decode written language, poor phonetic abilities and reading comprehension, difficulty in making inferences, poor visual symbolic recognition, and difficulties with abstract thought, attention, and memory.

Although the paucity of picture books for this audience might imply a small population of children are diagnosed with Learning disabilities, a recent Statistics Canada report from the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) released in December 2007 revealed that 3.2% of children have learning disabilities. This statistic demonstrates the need for industry modification in which authors develop a schema for learning disabilities and integrate it into their picture books. Although some advances have been made in recent years in regards to adolescent and adult literature that incorporates learning disability themes, or learning disabled characters into their narratives, very few picture book literature is available for the young reading public. In Mary Ann Prater's 1997 study of ninety literary texts containing LD themes, she found that only 8.9% of the literature consisted of picture books. Prater's findings emphasize the importance of including and incorporating this marginalized group of readers within mainstream picture books by developing and creating additional picture books that provide positive and diverse representations of learning disabled children.

Picture book theory states that authors need to incorporate specific literary and illustrational techniques into their picture book in order to establish a connection between the text and the implied meaning. Children who have reading disorders (Dyslexia), written expression disabilities (Dysgraphia), or visual-spatial integration disabilities are sometimes unable to comprehend the textual strategies presented in popular picture books. For example, the textual constructs in a popular and influential picture book for children, Jon Sciezka's 1992 The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, includes the use of different fonts and font sizes, left to right movement, word and letter presentation that deviates from accepted norms, intertextuality, rhyming structures, and inverted syntax. Children with processing deficits resulting from learning disabilities are unable to gain enjoyment from Scieszka's and other prevalent pictures books as they struggle with the ability too efficiently decode many textual constructs.

The illustrations that accompany the written text in picture books also contribute to the creation of meaning. In Words about Pictures: The Narrative Art of Children's Picture Books, Perry Nodelman claims that illustrations and the varied use of illustrational techniques can be a "major source of pleasure"(20). This pleasure, however, can only be experienced by those with "great skill" who are able to understand "the subtleties inherent in the pictures within picture books"(Ibid). The illustrations that accompany Scieszka's The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales require readers to have a certain spatial and visual mastery. Readers must visually recognize, decipher and comprehend visual-spatial codes such as left to right movement, judgement of size and distance, image placement, and the ability to recognize the difference between background and foreground placement of visuals. Children with LD may struggle with such illustrations, and as a result of not possessing this acquired skill, miss the opportunity to gain insight into the meaning of a narrative by inferring from illustrations, and thereby the positive experience of reading these picture books.

The discriminatory use of these presumably universal literary codes is also compounded with a biased and derogatory representation of learning disability. The representation of learning disabilities in picture books is demeaning to both the understanding of learning disabilities and the life experiences faced by children with these exceptional learning needs. The personal experiences of having a learning disability presented in most picture books for this population, focuses on themes of individual helplessness or fantastical escapism. In many narratives, the prominent presentation centers on the negative features of disability, such as poor academic achievement and social isolation. In addition, intervention or assistance is consistently depicted by chance or by a fantasy of escape, such as physically flying away. Patricia Polacco, a popular children's picture book author and illustrator whose extensive oeuvre ranges from fantasy and folk tales to non-fiction and realism, attempted to incorporate learning disabilities narratives into two of her children's picture books. In Polacco's 1998 book Thank You Mr. Falker she presented a subjective view of dyslexia that shows lack of personal character development and narrative depth two universal literary structures presented in many mainstream picture books. In Thank You Mr. Falker, Polacco's protagonist Trisha, after two horrendous and terrible years in primary school, in which she faces constant personal frustration and social torment from peers finally, receives solace from a substitute teacher: "You think you're dumb, don't you? How awful for you to be so lonely and afraid [. . .] We're going to change all that girl. You're going to read - I promise you that" (Polacco 30). The narrative concludes with young Trisha, after a short period of diagnostic and educational assistance, overcoming her learning disability "as if it where magic, or as if light poured into her brain, the words and sentences started to take shape on the page as they never had before."(Polacco31). This histrionic and negative portrayal demonstrates the societal belief that struggling learners should passively wait for a teacher's fleeting moment of generosity, trust that the teacher is capable of recognizing their educational struggles as an associated feature of a learning disability and thereby provide the appropriate remedial supports. In a 2008 study conducted in Winnipeg, Manitoba Cheryl Nicholson interviewed post-secondary students with learning disabilities and found "feelings of stigmatization social isolation" (Nicholson 72) emerged at an early age. Nicholson also found that academic assessment and diagnosis in terms of interventions and accommodations occurred outside school environment, and the various barriers and limitations correlated with learning disabilities did not disappear quickly after diagnosis or intervention, thereby contradicting the fantasy presented in Polacco's narrative.

In Polacco's 1996 children's picture book I Can Hear the Sun she yet again employs a similarly trite narrative, but in this case, an arbitrary connection is made between disability and superhuman powers. In this narrative a young orphan boy, Fondo, a social outcast with low self-esteem, "I'm not much on learning. They call me slow [. . .] I failed all the tests they have been giving me. They say I'm a special needs case" becomes drawn to a local park where geese rest before migrating south (Polacco 19). The narrative progresses with Fondo providing pro-social behaviour in regards to feeding and caring for the blind goose, and concludes with the blind goose taking Fondo with her on her migration path "he hovered there for a fleeting moment, weightless and free, then he gave a nod to the geese [. . .] and they disappeared into the orange sky"(Polacco29). Polacco's protagonists are characterized as passive and vulnerable, two image representations that should be excluded from LD narratives. Picture books that purport to include learning disabilities should present a realistic and positive image instead of a one-sided interpretation of disability.

Unfortunately, Pollaco is not alone in her negative portrayals of LD. The inadequate representation of LD in regards to the limited set of images and poor character development is also evident in many educational and diagnostic picture books. In George Gasek's I'm Not Stupid, an educational picture book developed for children with a specific learning disability (dyslexia), he also presents a limited and exaggerated narrative. Gasek typically imitates the rhyming couplet structure found in many picture books; however, the theme and illustrations that accompany his literary structure are unsatisfactory. His narrative focuses on seven extremely different dyslexic characters. Within each character portrayal, Gasek follows picture book theory in which the left frame shows a problem and the right frame presents the solution. For example, one of Gasek's frames shows a young boy playing chess while the text tells the reader that "Last year in a contest my reputation did climb / when I beat my opponents two at a time" (Gasek 11). The illustration and text on the following page shows the same boy winning his 1st place trophy and the caption (which was repeated for each of the seven children) "so even though I can't read very well, I'm not stupid" (Gasek 11). This literary strategy of syntactical repetition and left to right textual and imagery movement is purposeful and correct for many mainstream picture books; however, these codes are misused in this book, as they exaggerate associative features of dyslexia on the first page and present the solution as a utopian impossibility on the next.

The negative representation of learning disabilities in educational picture books is also common in picture books designed for children with ADHD. For instance, David and Illan Shaw's educational book, Why Can't I Pay Attention? unflatteringly presents ADHD in their narrative about a young boy with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder- Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive (DSM IV-TR 87). Many of the illustrations in this picture book greatly exaggerate the associative features of this ADHD subtype as they depict the young boy as having excessive and impulsive uncontrollable energy and clumsiness, and an inability to pay attention. For example, one frame shows the young boy happily spinning like a tornado and then smashing into a brick wall (Shaw 11). Yet another illustration shows the boy playing soccer in the middle of a busy highway blissfully unaware of an approaching truck (Shaw 13). In addition, numerous frames show the young boy defying authority and conventional rules. Although the defiance of authority is a common theme in children's picture books, the presentation of this literature strategy in a book designed for children with this specific learning disability is not conducive to inclusiveness as it merely exacerbates negative stereotypes. The negative stereotypes and objectionable misrepresentation of learning disabilities presented in Gasek's, Shaw's and other educational books creates an import in which readers may develop an inaccurate opinion of learning disabilities.

The analysis of the representation and presentation of children's picture books that include or incorporate learning disabilities reveals that picture books discriminate against a particular population that they are ostensibly there to serve. By taking into account the amount of individuals with learning disabilities, it becomes evident that there should be a greater awareness and thereby positive representation of learning disabilities and ADHD in picture books for children. The particular literary codes and strategies incorporated in many picture books, the unilateral representation of exceptional needs and struggling learners and the inappropriate narratives, themes and illustrations presented in the few picture books available, demonstrates that this literary field must make a significant attempt to create an equal reading experience for all children.

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Jackelyne Gudz is a champion of the rights of persons with disabilities and disability related issues.