Now that I have that label it actually helps me with finding solutions to my problems. I can spot and connect well with people with ADHD and autism – it’s like a special gang that I wasn’t a part of before. Autism affects people in different ways. Does it help you understand your own – and other autistic people’s – behaviour?

If you saw me in school you probably wouldn’t think I was autistic and that’s why girls get missed for diagnosis. That’s because of everyone else’s perspective and stereotypes of autism and what they imagine it looks like. But I have a lot of things that I enjoy doing like hanging out with friends, horse riding, singing and song-writing. When somebody’s diagnosed it’s nothing to be afraid of, you are just the same as before but now you know why. LIBBY: My Mum (she made me say that!) Really strong females inspire me, like Taylor Swift, Little Mix, Rebel Wilson, and of course, Greta Thunberg. LIBBY: I discovered it by writing a short story, which then went viral on social media! I loved knowing my words were impacting on people so much. I also like being able to pour my real feelings out onto paper. It helps me understand myself more. LIBBY: Whenever you are going through stressful times, don’t bottle it up but tell those who are close to you. You’ll be surprised how much it honestly does help. Then my parents paid to go to the Lorna Wing, which specialises in diagnosing autistic girls. They spent hours speaking to my parents, believed what they said, and then hours speaking with me, too. They seemed to understand autism a lot better. It’s a shame my parents had to pay to get that – what about kids whose parents can’t?

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Tally’s story is somewhat inspired by your own! How did you use your personal experiences with autism to give Tally’s diary entries an authentic voice? Inspired by young coauthor Libby Scott’s own experiences with autism, this is an honest and moving middle-school story of friends, family, and finding one’s place. Something is different about sixth grade, and Tally now feels like she has to act “normal.” But as Tally hides her true self, she starts to wonder what “normal” means after all and whether fitting in is really what matters most. Tally’s story feels so authentic because the book was co-authored by Libby Scott, a 12-year-old autistic writer who channeled her own experiences into the story. We had the chance to chat with Libby about discovering her passion for writing, her biggest dream, and how she used her life as inspiration for Can You See Me? Libby Scott Chats About Her New Novel, Can You See Me?: Tell us a little about Can You See Me? and what readers can expect from the story.

LIBBY: Well, because there’s a lot of similarities between me and Tally it wasn’t hard. I just wrote what I know and I feel. Sometimes I forgot I was writing as Tally and I just wrote as me!LIBBY: I’ve learnt that everyone experiences autism differently, so not to speak for other people, just to share my own voice in the hope it will help others. LIBBY: I hope they learn that autism is not an illness, it is just a different way of seeing the world. It’s not without its problems, but often those problems can be easily sorted if others make small changes to fit around us a little more.