Tallulah Willis believed she was "lazy" before being diagnosed as autistic

She told Britain's HELLO! Magazine: "The first line that said, 'You are level one autistic' [on the assessment], it still didn't feel real.

"I thought someone would take it away or invalidate it and tell me I was wrong, that I was lying, and that this wasn't true...

"I had to give myself a little bit of grace first.

"I really believed these truths from the world that I was less than, lazy, not operating the right way,

"Then, when I got my diagnosis, I thought, 'Am I allowed to let go of all that self-judgement?'

"And yes, I just needed a different tool kit, but it took me a minute.

"But there was definitely a joy in sharing."

Tallulah - who is the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis - praised her older sisters, Rumer, 36, and 33-year-old Scout, for their support in helping her navigate her condition.

She said:" They have encouraged me to ask for what I need in situations where I'm more used to masking.

"Them saying. 'Hey it's OK to take a beat and ask, "Is this OK? What do I need at this moment? Am I overwhelmed?" ' opened up a space for me to speak up, because there was a fear of being labelled as high-maintenance or difficult."

And Tallulah has learned how to better look after herself.

"I can speak up for what I need and know what I need.

"I would have days when I thought I was sick all the time but now I know that I need to be conscious of how I spend my energy.

"In the run-up to this year's Autism Speaks gala, knowing that it was going to be an exciting night, I spent the previous two days doing low-impact activities so that I wasn't overcooked by it.

"The diagnosis gave me permission to not have to fight through things all the time."