A Girl like Tilly

Diploma in Professional Studies student Ellen Li is returning from her Industry year to LCC in October having been commissioned to illustrate an important new book on the subject of female autism. Below are a few words from Eli and the project.

“A Girl like Tilly is a collaborative project I’m working on with a lady called Helen Bates whose daughter has autism. The book aims to help people with autism and their families to understand the condition as well as the difficulties from each other’s perspective. Research has led to me attending the Autism show and I got to speak to parents, teachers and carers. I started to understand how complex the condition can be as it affects people in different ways and it affects the senses in a way that are quite difficult for people who don’t have autism to comprehend.

I feel that working closely with each other has perhaps given the project a sensitive and genuine voice. Although Helen is not a writer or a scientist by trade, she brings her very personal experiences and for me, autism is new territory so when we talk we’re bouncing ideas about and brainstorming what we want to say and how to best communicate it. Its a very special process”

Ellen Li