Aoife Dooley: 'I want kids to see that it's okay to be different'

Autistic writer and illustrator Aoife Dooley’s young hero Frankie returns in her second graphic novel 'Finding My Voice'. In conversation with autistic/ADHD writer Mike McGrath-Bryan to mark Autism Acceptance Month, she explores her own journey, honouring her younger self, and approaching the broader conversation in her work

Aoife Dooley: autistic writer and illustrator explores diagnosis, special interests and disclosure in her new kids' graphic novel, 'Finding My Voice'.

Mike: Finding My Voice sees Frankie start secondary school — which, for anyone, is a culture shock, much less someone like her, or us. How was it to look back at secondary school as an institution in Irish life, and the pressures that often unfold as it happens, and address the neurodivergent experience of them?

Aoife: When I was in secondary school, I didn’t know that I was autistic, but I knew that I was different. By the time I got to secondary, I went from being a complete nerd, to ‘no one’s gonna mess with me’ — not a bully or anything, but being quick on the ball, having the best comebacks.