Humanising portrayals of children with psycho-social differences in children's and young adult literature

Children who are othered due to their psycho-social differences have a right to academic, social, and emotional inclusion in schools. Inclusion can be facilitated using children's and young adult literature (C/YAL), yet characters with psycho-social differences are rarely represented and may be portrayed using a deficit perspective. This study centres on Humanising Pedagogy, creating classroom dialogue that explicitly names humanising constructs and interrupts deficit narratives. We developed Humanising Pedagogy constructs for a content analysis of C/YAL: social inclusion, reciprocal relationships, agency and autonomy, assets and strengths, and creative problem-solving. Using six books, we also identified examples of social barriers and deficit narratives that impeded the main characters' full inclusion. Additional humanising constructs were identified by completing multiple rounds of analysis: hope, empathy, belonging, and creativity. Recommendations for educators are included.