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

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Tally has autism which includes a very difficult condition known as demand avoidance. What that means is if someone tells her to do something straight out, she absolutely can not do it. This condition makes her behavior hard to understand, at times. Nell, her older sister, doesn’t want to understand and just wants Tally to be normal and do what she’s supposed to do. Even Tally’s Dad, at times, forgets how he’s supposed to phrase things and often his words lead to confrontation. It would have been much better if there was more 'show' and much less 'tell'. A better book would try to recreate autism not explain it. Or is it a children's book where everything important has to be spelled out descriptively? It just doesn't ring authentic: it's got adult/ autism expert written all over it.

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. 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.Enter Rupert, the neighbor's three-legged dog, who is staying with the family (against her mother’s wishes) while his owner is in the hospital. The dog growls and snaps at people and Tally’s mother deems Rupert dangerous and requires for him to wear a muzzle. And though her mother won’t let her anywhere close to Rupert, Tally immediately bonds with the dog. Tally knows that Rupert is just scared of his new surroundings and new people. “The only thing that Rupert has done wrong is be different. And she knows exactly how it feels to have nobody understand you. She knows how much it hurts to be left outside in the dark, all on your own." 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 .

This may be the most annoying book I've ever read! The idea of featuring autistic characters in fiction is a good one, and I think it's a great idea to help people understand what it's like to live with autism. But in spite of being based on the real life experience of a girl with autism, it doesn't ring true. The story is too didactic, and Tally's "Top Tips" for dealing with someone with autism sound like something an adult would say, not a middle school girl. Puedes sacar muchas enseñanzas de este libro, no solo aprender a cómo tratar a una persona con autismo, sino a cómo tratar a la gente en general. 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. Some parts made me go 'Ohhhhh' - lightbulb moments of realisation.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 Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing - However, we are now a little further down the road and I suppose I am more accepting and more than ready to understand my daughter in any way I can. Tally's autism means there are things that bother her even though she wishes they didn't. It means that some people misunderstand, her and feel frustrated by her.

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.

Tally isn't ashamed of being autistic -- even if it complicates life sometimes, it's part of who she is. But this is her first year at Kingswood Academy, and her best friend, Layla, is the only one who knows. And while a lot of other people are uncomfortable around Tally, Layla has never been one of them . . . until now. 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. 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. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments 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.

No tengo la suerte de que mi sobrino con TEA sepa contarme como es vivir con autismo y como se siente, ya que es incapaz de comunicarse (o más bien nosotros somos los incapaces de entenderle) pero siento que este libro me ha acercado de alguna forma más a él y me ha hecho entender muchas de sus actitudes. Es una novela estupenda, nos ha encantado conocer a Tally y su manera de ver la vida. La historia tiene de todo y se agradecen muchísimo las entradas del blog. Es increíble la cantidad de ideas equivocadas que tenemos sobre la gente autista. Creo que este libro deberían leerlo en todos los colegios. Por mi parte, pienso recomendarlo mucho en la librería.There were some parts that made me cry because it was exactly like my experience at school. Her relationship with her sister was similar to my relationship with my brother. The relationship with her mum, being the one who understands, was the same with me. Endearing, insightful and warmly uplifting, Can You SeeMe? is a story of autism, empathy and kindness that will touch readers of all ages. About This Edition ISBN: