Making Neurodiversity Visible – Female Representations of Autism in Multimodal Young Adult Literature as a Learning Impulse in German as a Foreign Language Teaching

Abstract

Current estimates suggest that for every two male individuals on the autism spectrum, there is about one female, yet boys are still diagnosed more frequently 
than girls. Since 2010, a growing number of own-voice publications by women have sparked increased scientific interest in gender-specific manifestations of autism. In
German-language children’s and young dult literature, neurodiverse protagonists are being portrayed with greater nuance and complexity. This study conducts a literary analysis to explore the particularities in symptomatology, diagnosis, and societal perception of female autistic individuals. The focus is on two illustrated books nominated for the German Youth Literature Prize: Harte Schale, Weichtierkern (2022) by Cornelia Travnicek and Anders nicht falsch (2024) by Maria Zimmermann. Implications for German as a Foreign Language (DaF) teaching are drawn using a criteria catalog that addresses diagnosis, self-image and identity development, belonging and participation, as well as gender identity. The study shows how these works contribute to the visibility of autistic people in project-based teaching through either a normalization or disruptive approach, provide identification potential for adolescent learners, foster creativity, and can be effectively used to raise awareness.