Can You See Me?: A powerful story of autism, empathy and kindness

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However, the book as a whole wasn't the most engaging--the plot is rather slow for much of it, and the Tally's Autism Facts sections, while informative, are also a bit info-dump-y, and I wasn't ever sure if the story was supposed to take place in the US or UK. I loved the female autism rep, as well as the fact that author Libby Scott is autistic, making Tally's voice authentic. She is also autistic, and after her mum Kym shared a piece of Libby's writing online, Libby and her writing went viral and prompted a book deal from the biggest children’s publisher in the world, Scholastic. A coming-of-age story about learning to celebrate yourself -- and teaching the world to recognize you, too -- perfect for fans of R. The reader is supposed to believe that the main character, Tally, is a mainstreamed student at a public middle school, but the way her behavior is portrayed, there is no way she would be mainstreamed, and particularly without an IEP and all her teachers knowing what her needs were, which is not the case in this story.

It made me feel seen, and it contributed to my reflections about what life was like for me at twelve years old and how profoundly grateful I am that things are completely different now. I guess that is proof the community is not a monolith of people who behave in the exact same way - that is exactly why it is a spectrum condition. From a parents point of view it seems really odd that Tally's parents didn't informed the school about her diagnosis and had the extra support in place for her getting around the school and avoiding sensory overloads and making her life that little easier with the transition from primary to secondary school.It’s a fantastic independent book seller that will actually be responsive and select appropriate books for you. It also shows that autism can be a superpower, and that some people on the spectrum have better memory or hearing. I think it is okay that I couldn’t relate to Tally’s experiences in their entirety, especially being really high masking and late diagnosed - but I don’t think this is explained in the book and many neurotypical people aren’t exposed to the discourse our community tries to produce to raise awareness because the internet can be such an echo chamber.

Tally and one of the other kids in the book reminded me completely of a couple children I teach and it hit some very personal nerves because of it.I would say that about 90% of the protagonist's behaviours are recognisable in my daughter - Some parts made me laugh, others made me cry. But in spite of being based on the real life experience of a girl with autism, it doesn't ring true. People think that because Tally’s autistic, she doesn’t realise what they’re thinking, but Tally sees and hears – and notices – all of it.