My PhD

Storytelling, Fairy tales and ADHD: Adapting Narratives for Neurodivergent Audiences

Abstract:

The project focuses on exploring the fairy tale structure and how this can be beneficial for neurodivergent audiences, specifically those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The research focuses on improving attention retention for ADHD audiences through storytelling and explores how the enjoyment of films and literature should be prioritised for all audiences. Fairy tales can hold the attention of their audience members and can also be a tool for guidance in life; the transition from adolescence to adulthood can be particularly challenging for individuals with ADHD. However, fairy tales contain narratives that show this transition and may be relatable as guidance for these audiences.

To establish whether the fairy tale structure can improve attention retention, I develop a succinct set of narrative functions that are reflective of the fairy tale structure, to investigate the benefits of the fairy tale in relation to attention retention of ADHD audiences. Fairy tales draw on a range of genres, including elements of Adventure, Fantasy, Romance and Horror: I conduct a survey to explore whether there is a difference in genre preference in ADHD and non-ADHD audiences, and to investigate if there is a connection between narrative structure, genre and attention span. I apply these findings to the experiment, where I investigate rates of attention retention between the Horror and Fairy tale genres. From this application, the narrative points retained improved for ADHD audiences when engaging with the fairy tale story, as opposed to the horror. This thesis will introduce this new adapted set of narrative functions while presenting the results of both the survey and experiment. These findings will be introduced in relation to their potential to pave the way toward greater inclusivity of ADHD audiences.