Glitch in the System: A Cyberpunk Neurodiversity Adventure (BOOK Children's/ YA)

 

In the neon-soaked streets of Neo-Veridia, the year 2077 does not just offer a vision of the future; it provides the ultimate testing ground for a new kind of hero. The city is a constant roar of sensory data, a place where hover-cars whir like metallic mosquitoes and data-streams float through the air like invisible ribbons. For most citizens, this environment is a relentless headache, but for a teenager named Jax, it is a high-definition playground. Jax is an ADHD hero, a protagonist whose brain doesn't suffer from a deficit of attention, but rather an abundance of it. In a world designed to overwhelm, Jax has realized that his "too-fast" brain is not a glitch in the system; it is an elite neural upgrade.

The story follows Jax and his partner, Nyx, as they attempt to infiltrate a mega-corp building to retrieve a vital data-core. While Nyx represents the traditional "focused" operative, she quickly finds herself overwhelmed by the scrambled maps and high-security protocols of the corporate maze. Jax, however, operates on a different frequency. He doesn't look at the security bots the way others do; instead, he notices the rhythmic pulse of the floor tiles—one, two, red—and finds the hidden gaps in scanning beams that everyone else misses. His neurodivergence is framed throughout the narrative as a feature, not a bug, allowing him to perceive the "invisible" trails of air moving through the vents or the precise flicker of a neon sign that acts as a natural timer.

When the stakes reach their peak, Jax enters a state of hyperfocus. In this heightened gear, the chaotic noise of the city fades into a quiet hum, and the world appears to slow down. To Jax, the glowing blue data-core is not a solid object but a complex puzzle of shifting code that responds to the rhythm in his bones. He taps into the core with the same cadence as the floor tiles, unlocking the secrets of Neo-Veridia through sheer pattern recognition. This narrative serves as a powerful metaphor for information processing, showing that being "distracted" is often just a matter of noticing the details that others are too slow to see.

For educators and parents, this story is more than a sci-fi adventure; it is a meticulously designed learning tool available on Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT). The resource is built to be neurodiversity-aligned and scaffolded for Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), making it accessible for students in the 420L to 820L Lexile range. It offers various versions to fit the modern classroom, including the standard eBook for whole-group instruction, digital Easel Activities for interactive learning, and Easel Assessments to streamline the grading process. By engaging with Jax’s journey, students work toward Common Core State Standards (CCSS) such as RL.6.1 and RL.6.3, citing textual evidence and analyzing how a character’s unique traits drive the resolution of a high-stakes plot.

The "Glitch in the System" package also includes a PLUSS-aligned instructional framework that empowers every level of learner. Level 1 students might focus on identifying Jax’s sensory tools, while Level 3 students engage in metacognitive "Tech Logs" to connect Jax’s hyperfocus to their own real-world strengths. This narrative shifts the conversation away from "fixing" a student’s brain and toward celebrating their specific neural architecture. In the high-speed future of 2026 and beyond, Jax reminds us that the kids who see the world differently are often the only ones who can truly see the system for what it is—and how to change it for the better.

👉Check it out! Glitch in the System: A Cyberpunk Neurodiversity Adventure (BOOK Children's/ YA)