Overview: Championing Neurodiverse Representation in Children’s Literature
Contributing writer Divya Thamman covers a powerful PPGJLI event featuring author Tiffany Hammond, whose #1 New York Times bestselling picture book A Day With No Words centers on her nonverbal autistic son's lived experience. Thamman explores the staggering lack of diverse disability representation on bookshelves and highlights how Hammond's storytelling provides young readers with a mirror to see their full humanity celebrated.
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The Staggering Gap in Diverse Books
In the United States today, 1 in 31, or about 3.2%, of children have autism. Across the board, about 16.7% of kids have any developmental disability. Despite this, there is a significant discrepancy in the representation of diversity in children’s books. In the U.S. today, only 3.4% of children’s literature has a main character with any sort of disability.
This includes physical, mental or developmental disabilities. Representation of autism specifically is a sliver of that already low percentage. Additionally, a report examining 100 books with autistic main characters found that fewer than 10% featured nonwhite protagonists.
When autistic children have little representation in the stories they read each night before bed or each day after school, it can seem easy to feel alone. This is why it’s so essential to have vibrant and diverse representation, so every kid can see themselves in main characters who reflect and celebrate who they truly are. This is where award-winning author Tiffany Hammond comes in.
Centering Nonverbal Autistic Joy
Tiffany Hammond is a mother, advocate and storyteller who uses her personal experiences with autism and parenting two children with autism diagnoses to guide others on their journey. She is seeking to honor our humanity and uplift values of respect and love.
Recently, Hammond wrote “A Day With No Words,” a story featuring a normal day with her son Aidan. Aidan is nonverbal and uses an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tablet to express his feelings, thoughts and needs. In the story, Aidan and Hammond visit the park and then head to a restaurant.
The book moves through Aidan’s senses as he twirls in the grass or tastes his favorite soda. Hammond writes that “without a single spoken word, this picture book honors the many ways people express themselves, connect, and belong. Rooted in lived experience, it’s a celebration of autistic joy, identity, and voice.”
National Acclaim and Lasting Impact
The book immediately became a success. It was published May 9, 2023, and made the New York Times #1 bestseller list by late May 2023. Since then, the story has also been awarded many additional honors, such as the 2023 Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature Best Books, 2024 Dolly Gray Picture Book Award winner and the 2024 CLEL Bell Award for Talk.
At a recent Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute (PPGJLI) Leaders are Readers event, Hammond read from the book, shared her story and answered questions from the group about writing it and her plans for the future. Everyone in the audience was captivated by the powerful and beautiful story, as young audience members took in the lively illustrations.
Members of the audience also went on to share personal stories and connect over the topics discussed in Hammond’s book. After finishing the powerful story, one audience member asked whether Hammond planned to release future books. To this, she told us about her upcoming book, “How Do You Spell Belong?,” a story set to release Jan. 26, 2027, that is currently available for preorder.
The story will follow Aidan on a rainy day trip to the museum, as sensory overload from lines and loud sounds causes him to shout and slap his chest to express his feelings. The book will explain the story of how another child reaches out with kindness and curiosity, instead of judgment. The narrative also plans to highlight the special bond that exists between Aidan and his dad.
All Communication is Valid
When Hammond was asked about her upcoming book, she remarked, “I just wanted to highlight that all communication is valid. And that, everybody belongs. We’re all worthy, and no matter how we communicate, no matter how we are, no matter what our bodies can do, we all matter.”
PPGJLI is dedicated to promoting diverse books for readers, and stories like Hammond’s help illustrate why sharing vibrant, diverse stories matters in building the next generation of leaders and readers. For more information, you can visit www.ppgjli.org/ or email info@ppgj.org.