Author Interview: All the Noise at Once by DeAndra Davis

Author Interview: All the Noise at Once by DeAndra Davis

We sat down with DeAndra Davis, the author behind All the Noise at Once, which follows Aiden, a young football player whose experience on and off the field is shaped by his autism and by the complex intersections of his identity. With care and honesty, DeAndra dives into what it took to authentically portray Aiden’s sensory experiences, team dynamics, and the emotional weight of navigating expectations as a neurodivergent teen. Read on below to learn more about the inspiration, research, and heart that shaped this powerful narrative – and pick up All the Noise, out Tuesday!

All the Noise at Once

by DeAndra Davis
Published by: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
on April 15, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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All Aiden ever wanted to do was play football just like his star quarterback brother, Brandon. Unfortunately, due to Aiden’s autism, summer football tryouts did not go well when Aiden finds himself at the bottom of a pile-up resulting in an over-stimulation meltdown. But when the school year starts, a spot on the team opens urgently needing to be filled. Aiden finally gets his chance to play the game he loves most.

However, not every team member is happy about Aiden’s position on the team, wary of how his autism will present itself on game day. Tensions rise. A fight breaks out. Cops are called.

When Brandon tries to interfere on behalf of his brother, he is arrested by the very same cops who, just hours earlier, were chanting his name from the bleachers. When trumped up charges appear for felony assault on an officer, everything Brandon has worked for starts to slip away and the brothers’ relationship is tested. With Brandon’s trial inching closer, Aiden is desperate to find a way to clear his brother’s name while also trying to answer the one looming question plaguing his brain: what does it mean to be Black and autistic?

Interview with DeAndrea Davis

Aiden’s journey as a football player is deeply affected by his autism, especially in a team environment. What elements do you feel were important to include to ensure Aiden’s experiences on the field were portrayed authentically?

I think understanding the juxtaposition between wanting to do something so contradictory to what your sensations are telling you to do is so important here. I really had to tap into how I feel in my body as an autistic person and then had to get a good understanding of football. I did a ton of research, asked a lot of questions, and even simulated some of it wherever I could. I had to understand what it felt like to be on a field and then get a grasp of what that felt like for a neurotypical person by asking questions then meld that with my understanding and experience of it in my own way. Some of it required some extension of thought based on football things I couldn’t do and some imagining of how I would feel in those situations as well. So basically, a lot of research and some hands-on experience really went into that authenticity on the field for Aiden.

The relationship between Aiden and his older brother, Brandon, is central to the plot. How did you approach writing their sibling dynamic, particularly how their bond is tested throughout the story?

I think I used a lot of experience of how I have been and was with my own sister and also referenced how my kids are with each other. Being neurodivergent and having neurodivergent kids made us all great touchpoints for the relationship I was trying to capture between Aiden and Brandon. I had to think about where we blend and where we chafe and how we have handled that well or otherwise. I then extended that into the characters and how I felt they would want things to be handled as per their personalities. Brandon, who so desperately aims for perfection, doesn’t want to end a conversation on a bad note. That’s not really his way, you know? So I had to take that into consideration. Aiden, who wants to please his brother but is also chafing underneath expectations of him is kind of stepping into himself and realizing that he’s okay sometimes with things not working out the way he expected. He’s okay being a little more abrasive and not fixing everything. Thinking about how those personalities might clash especially as Aiden is only just growing into that, it was interesting for me to think about. Ultimately though, remembering how much they love each other was central to how I worked everything out for each interaction as well.

Can you share more about how you explored the intersection of race and neurodiversity in the book? What do you hope readers take away from Aiden’s story?

So, it’s been my experience that intersections between neurodivergence and almost any of my other identities have changed my lived experience in so many ways. I put a lot of thought into how those intersections impacted my own life before putting it on the page. I think it’s important to understand how our identities compound, with interest, to alter the way we live our lives. We don’t really separate from those identities, they merge, grow, and exacerbate each other so that some situations look very different for us than someone else who maybe doesn’t have all the same compounding identities. Ultimately, though, what I want people to take away is understanding of how to better respect and care about the people in their lives that are autistic or even just disabled. I want them to consider the ways in which they approach those people. Are they infantilizing them? Are they listening to them? Are they giving them realistic expectations and accommodations? Are they considering their feelings about their treatment? Are they believing in their loved ones’ declarations of what they can do? I just want people to see disabled and neurodivergent people as whole people and not just people to be coddled, ignored, or dismissed. 

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for the finished copy!




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