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

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Tally is eleven years old and she's just like her friends. Well, sometimes she is. If she tries really hard to be. Because there's something that makes Tally not the same as her friends. Something she can't cover up, no matter how hard she tries: Tally is autistic. This glimpse into the world of a young autistic girl is astonishingly insightful and honest. Tally's struggles to 'fit in' are heart-wrenching, and her victories are glorious." -- Ann M. Martin, Newbery Honor and New York Times bestselling author of Rain Reign I had never, ever read descriptions like this before that I didn't write myself. It meant so much to me to read about this from another person's perspective, and to see Tally's stress about trying to behave and keep self-control, but getting to points where she literally cannot restrain the explosive behavior that takes over. It was so accurate, and even though Tally's triggers were different than mine, I cannot even imagine what an overwhelming comfort it would have been if I could have read something like this when I was twelve.

Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing - Thus, reading a book entitled Can You See Me? about a struggling kid at a similar age was very timely. This story follows the experiences of a fictional eleven-year-old girl named Tally who is on the autism spectrum, and who is struggling to adjust to school. 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.Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments For me, the narrator's voice is way too self aware, reflective, experienced, emotionally articulate, for an 11 year old, never mind an 11 year old with autism. 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. At home, Tally daily has melt-downs in which she screams at her parents and her sister, tells them she hates them, and that her behavior is all their fault, and that she can't help it. At school, however, she repeatedly comments that she feels like having a melt-down, but she just can't, because she doesn't want her friends to see. So apparently, she does have some control over her behavior, which makes her look like a spoiled brat. Still, despite its stylistic flaws, this book has an encouraging message and provides what appears to be an extremely realistic representation of autism, even though I cannot speak from personal knowledge of it. This book should be very encouraging and helpful to kids who relate to Tally's situations at home and at school, and it is a great tool to help build understanding and empathy among family members, friends, and classmates of children with autism.

However, she manages to have remarkable insight into her own emotional state, coming up with all the excuses why SHE can't behave a certain way, yet is utterly unforgiving of others, expecting perfection from them. Her family and even her peers are all supposed to put Tally's needs above their own. She expects her 11 year old friends to have expert knowledge and the skills and ability of a psychologist. She lashes out at others, telling them what they "should" be able to do, yet going mad if anyone tries to suggest what she might be able to do. "I'm not having a tantrum you horrible man... I'm not being naughty or like a baby and you should know that by now." Her needs DO NOT TRUMP ANYONE ELSE'S So tonight... I've written a list of dos and don'ts for parenting an autistic child. Do try to adjust to their needs at times." I am not autistic, and I had the very great blessing of being homeschooled, which I appreciated even more after reading this book. However, I deeply identify with Tally's high sensitivity to stimulation and agitation over it, her obsessive-compulsive tendencies, some of her tics, and her constant stress over trying to find some way to appear at least semi-normal, or at least normal enough to fly under the radar. This was also my first time reading a novel that reflected some of my behavioral issues from the past. Although Tally's are more extreme than mine were, or at least seem to make less rational sense, her feelings of grinding anxiety, rage, and explosion are painfully familiar to me. There is no major twists or turns I'll say, but it is a sad and uplifting story altogether. Tally endures rough times and finds her autism hard .

The fact that this book has been inspired by a young girl called Libby using her diary entries of her life with autism has made this book so much more pleasure to read as Libby’s voice is heard through the character tally. Tally has autism but seldom tells anyone and usually hides away. When she starts her new school, everything is very big and overwhelming and she has to find ways to hide her autism, but what if she doesn't have to? People think that because Tally's autistic, she doesn'trealise what they're thinking, but Tally sees and hears - and notices - all of it. And, honestly? That's not the easiest thing to live with.