AUTHENTIC NEURODIVERGENT REPRESENTATION IN CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE BY NEURODIVERGENT AUTHORS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR LITERARY INCLUSIVITY

Abstract

With the increase in the number of neurodivergent authors who identify as autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, dyspraxic, Tourette-affected, or otherwise neurologically atypical, there has been a subtle change in the trend setting in the literature of present times. There is no doubt in the fact that the narratives of neurodivergence as told by the neurodivergent authors themselves have much more realism and have much more epistemic value than those written by other authors. The present article is a sincere attempt to bring forth the point as to why this very claim of authorship bears so much importance in terms of representation, to study what real neurodivergent narration looks in real, what effects the same have on the existing moral practices, and what implications take place in the field of education, and cultural and moral norms as a result of such representations. Drawing on textual analysis of representative contemporary works, theoretical perspectives from disability studies and narratology, and an evaluative framework for authenticity, the paper argues that supporting neurodivergent authorship is essential to literary inclusivity—both as an ethical claim and as a means of expanding literary form and readership. The manuscript concludes with policy and praxis recommendations for educators, critics, and cultural funders.