Chanelle Moriah

Moriah, Chanelle (they/them) is a neurodivergent author and illustrator living in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. Chanelle was diagnosed as autistic at age 21 and ADHD at age 22. Their own life experiences influenced the type of content within their books that focus on autism and ADHD.

Moriah gives public talks around Aotearoa, works for Autism New Zealand, and is involved with a local disability leadership group. Chanelle cares deeply about giving people the opportunity to learn about neurodivergence. They want their books to provide a space for undiagnosed and diagnosed autistic people to explore their thoughts and experiences.

Chanelle wants their book I Am Autistic: An Interactive and informative guide to autism (by someone diagnosed with it) to help people feel understood and validated in their experiences. The book was written in a diary-like style and initially Chanelle didn’t think it would be published.

In 2022, Chanelle won a Storylines Notable Book Award for I Am Autistic: An Interactive and informative guide to autism (by someone diagnosed with it) (Allen & Unwin, 2022). I Am Autistic was also shortlisted in 2022 for the NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in the category of Best First Book Award. In 2023, it was longlisted for the Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction.

Moriah followed I Am Autistic with This is ADHD (An Interactive and Informative Guide) in 2023, also published by Allen & Unwin. This is ADHD: A Workbook is forthcoming from Simon & Schuster in 2024.