They/them pronouns in primary school workbooks

This is true. I remember well my DS in reception referring to identical twins as 'the two Jackenarries' sometimes shortened to 'the two Jacks'. Which was a bit harsh on Harry. I really don't think calling them (plural) them (singular) would have helped.

Stevie is going to be very confused they read this book.

Surely the acorn is 'it' and doesn't need any pronoun.

It's bloody awful, deeply confusing and grammatically incorrect. The only explanation is that the characters are meant to be non binary and teaching gender ideology in schools is not a neutral act. The government has recently issued new guidelines which state gender ideology is a contested belief not a fact. This is following The Cass Report which identified that gender affirmation in schools was also not a neutral act and especially affected children with ASD who might latch on to being 'non binary' or the opposite 'gender' as an explanation for why they feel different from their peers. I would suggest this is extremely damaging and should be raised as an issue of extreme concern. Non binary is a completely unscientific descriptor based on vague feelings about gender and has absolutely no place in education.

If you think it is pushing a belief system that not everyone subscribes to (and it sounds like it is), then that is what you should say in your review. You have been asked to give your opinion, so if you think the book could easily confuse young children, you should say so, with examples.

I went to a wonderful puppet show where the main character was an acorn. It was referred to as they but I felt that was somewhat ok, if a little confusing as it wasn't human. Though the oak tree was referred to as mother.

I could understand the argument to not define its sex within that context - as it was an acorn.

I've been teaching autistic children for nearly 20 years; this does not sound helpful or appropriate.

Many have specific speech and language difficulties. We spend a lot of time with some directly teaching which pronouns to use for men and women, boys and girls.

(Sorry not rtft. I'm very fucked off to read this )

Quite. Whatever your sex you may be more or less masculine or feminine than any ‘type’.

Everyone is non-binary in this sense, even though their sex remains immutable, and even when they are attracted to people of the same sex.

God that is so confusing, poor children.

My son with ASD struggled with pronouns so could definitely do with them being gender specific. It's a target from his speech and language therapist. I can't imagine this being uncommon. Two birds with one stone and all that.

I reckon in 20 years time we will be using slang words like 'hizhers'

Stevie took hizhers jumper off

Non binary is just a load of attention seeking crap isn't it? I don't feel very male or female - well no, nor does anyone, you still are though if you look between your legs. Most people don't give the social construct that is gender any thought, other naval gazers need to find a way to make themselves feel special.

'Stevie does things that might confuse people.' He/she's not wrong about that!
Exactly how many primary age children are there 'identifying' as NB? Why would you write a book about non binary kids for autistic kids where the pronouns are just nonsense and are likely to completely confuse them?

In feedback I'd ask, 'Is this book aimed at non-binary autistic children? If not why are both characters in it using non-binary pronouns which may confuse autistic readers who are not familiar with the alternative meaning of plural pronouns?'

It sounds like a patronising pile of gender woo shite that my autistic ds would have given a major swerve. Maybe don't say that though.

It can't be emphasised too much how sinister all this is.
Why are there so many girls with eating disorders, mentally unwell children, children in care, autistic children, bereaved children believing they've been born in the wrong body? And why has society allowed so many self invested adults to earn money off the backs of these vulnerable children by selling them the lie that their bodies are flawed but a sex change will fix them. A massive gravy train that the same adults are desperate to maintain.

Wake up people. Pronouns are part of gaslighting children (and adults) into believing the impossible - that anyone can change sex.

And if you haven't yet, go and read the well evidenced Cass Review and look at what we're doing to children and vulnerable young people

The grammar pedant in me simply goes 😮at this.

I feel like the book needs a glossary which they need to go over first:

He - singular him, one person
She - singular her, one person
They - plural, more than one person OR also used when a singular person doesn't want to call themselves he or she

Not ideal.

Yes there is definitely an over representation of autistic children identifying as trans.

it's horrific and abusive that adults are going along with it.

I'm the mother of an autistic daughter who thought she was a boy pre-puberty. Now post puberty she's quietly dropped it.

I could weep for these children. Just awful.

It's a load of nonsense.

Non binary is meaningless anyway.

Imagine confusing children (and making grammar more difficult) for the sake of something that isn't real.

Honestly whoever is writing these books and pushing them on children in the name of trans ideology ought to be ashamed of themselves.

As linguistically confusing given twins may be seen as ‘they’ too.

Yes, this is right. Autistic children are being transed by adults.

So are potentially gay children, traumatised and abused children.

I still think you're going after entirely the wrong culprit, though.

It isn't standard grammar that's oppressing women.

When you say "There is an over representation of non-binary and trans people in the Autistic community", we're talking about children here. There's now significant research that these children think they've been born in the wrong sex because they've been relentlessly targeted by adults & adult groups insisting that their complex feelings about their growing bodies is because those bodies are the wrong sex but drugs & surgery can fix them.

Pronouns and mangling children's understanding of language are all part of this. It's an appalling abuse of children too young to comprehend the issues around the impossible to achieve "sex change" and no reposbnsible adults should be advocating for this.

The recent Cass Review details some of the grim outcomes for children caught up in all this:

It is amazing how old children can be before they realise that their friends who are twins are not a 'unit' but are individuals. This book adds to the confusion.

I would bin it.

I don’t know why it is confusing 🙄

It's just propaganda. This trend for misleading vulnerable young people into thinking they can change sex is harming them mentally. It will also harm them physically if they go on to take experimental drugs like puberty blockers and cross sex hormones.

In your shoes I would point out that in light of the Cass review you think the approach of this book is not just outdated but also dangerous.

I would not want to collude in the biggest medical scandal of our age, especially since the Cass review highlighted that gender questioning girls currently outnumber gender questioning boys six to one. It's very clearly not like being gay or left handed.