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

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One thing Tally had that I did not have was the knowledge that she is autistic, she knew - I wish I had known and I wish I had books like this when I was that age. I am not autistic, and I had the very great blessing of being homeschooled, which I appreciated even more after reading this book.

Her experiences are drawn from the life of this book's young coauthor, and these contributions give a very realistic flavor to the story, both in terms of the autism experience and the thoughts and feelings of a child beginning middle school. Now, as she enters this new stage in her life, she is painfully aware of the way she is perceived and feeling an almost unbearable pressure to try to fit in. You don’t see the school or Tally’s family making adjustments to fit Tally’s needs - and yet she has multiple meltdowns throughout the book that are largely a result of sensory needs not being met (such as the school uniform incident at the start). She touches on the loneliness of not knowing who you really are when you mask, and that is so relatable. 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.I have had this book sitting on a shelf for ages and I have decided to read it all and for anyone with autism it will make you more confident and people without it, it will make you more kind towards people with autism.

As a result it’s difficult to see some of the reviews about Tally being a brat and wondering if that’s how people will see you if this is their representation of Autism in girls. When I was twelve, I viewed myself with rage and loathing, but looking back, I understand the things that I was going through and love myself in retrospect, not because I have forgotten about how atrociously awful I was at times, but because I see that I had dignity and value anyway.

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. Her mum is an early years consultant, trainer and conference speaker who previously worked for the London Borough of Lewisham as a School Improvement Advisor for Early Years and a Strategic Lead for Early Years. Reading this book with year 6 children may be useful in the preparation to moving to secondary school, showing that although they may be feeling frightened, this is normal and lots of other children will be feeling the same. Written in collaboration with young blogger Libby, who is herself autistic, this is a powerful and highly relatable story about fitting in and being yourself. Rebecca currently teaches in a primary school and lives in Dorset with her husband and three children.

Perfect for fans of Wonder and The Goldfish Boy, this sucker punch to the heart is valuable reading for children and adults alike. Tally allows the reader to get a clear insight into the complexities of autism and how it shapes a person and effects those nearest to them. But also most kids make stupid decisions at that age and say or do things that make no sense, which is why if we are reading this as adults we need to be more careful about projecting our perspective onto it. The diary entries mainly focus on charting her anxiety levels and explaining terms and concepts related to autism, often breaking them down into pros and cons. She tells Tally that if she doesn't leave the worm and come right now, she will go ahead without her.

Tally feels sorry for Mrs Jessop’s lonely, three-legged dog that bites and growls at other members of her family. Decent as an autism portrayal, enough so that I'm planning to read the sequel, but not a first-choice recommendation for a MG book in general. Tally faces secondary school with dread about what lies ahead, despite her older sister’s advice and a Year 6 induction experience. 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. Are the authors saying it would have been acceptable from him if it was directed at a kid who didn't yet have a diagnosis?