Insightful but left me skeptical

I work in the field of augmentative communication and with a lot of children with ASD and have been aware of this book.. and the controversy surrounding it... for quite some time. For those unaware, the augmentative communication style used by Mr. Higashida is considered very subject to interpreter suggestion, and therefore, there has been some concern that the words are not entirely the author's.

As someone who considers herself very knowledgeable about children with ASD I absolutely agreed with many of Mr. Higashida's observations/insights... almost too much so. I found myself thinking, "yeah, that's how I would guess my patients are feeling"-- which made me question if I am either the most insightful person on the planet or if some of the controversial "co-constructors" and translators were perhaps stepping on the author's toes a bit. That being said, there were some portions that I found very surprising and informative (e.g., Mr. Higashida's dislike of visual schedules), but also some where I, unfortunately, found myself questioning the authenticity.

Mr. Picasso's narration neither enhanced nor detracted from the text.

Overall, it was an interesting read for someone new to the field of autism who is trying to get a handle on the sensory components; however, if you are looking for a first-hand view of living with ASD, I found "Born on Blue Day" and "Look Me in the Eyes" to be more enjoyable and insightful.

50 people found this helpful

Right on

As an adult male 'on the spectrum', to have a thirteen-year-old boy express 80% of my existence better than I am able to do myself is both depressing and refreshing, because

As books go, this isn't classic literature or anything; but for an unfiltered glimpse into the mind of an autistic person, look no further. If someone close to you is on the autistic spectrum, you owe it to both yourself and them to read this book.

26 people found this helpful

Cracking the code

As a neuroscience nurse with an autistic grandson, I appreciate the insights revealed by young Naoki Higashida. It is most affirming to recognize that within the limitations of verbal and emotional expression, there is intelligence, humor and creativity trying to assert itself. What I found most heartbreaking is the realization that these children feel the burden of their families’ sorrow, frustration, and disappointment, imposing a daunting sense of responsibility to keep the family happy. (Research has shown that this is a common phenomenon among children with any chronic or terminal diagnosis, but I had not thought of it in this context).

While there must be a caveat that the experiences of Naoki may not have universal applicability for those on the spectrum, the revelations of the internal struggles to control emotions and behavior do suggest approaches that families can employ to understand and develop the abilities hidden inside their autistic loved ones. In this respect it is different from books written by those discussing the autistic experience from the caregiver’s POV. What I would love to see now is an update now that Naoki is a young adult, because one of the mysteries we would love to solve is how normal growth and development stages (such as adolescence with all of its hormonal upheavals wreaking havoc with emotional control) affect the behavior and expression of the autistic person as they mature. Anything to better prepare our loved one for his own future.

35 people found this helpful

Gives tremendous insight, beautiful and poetic.

This little book is the attempt of a non-verbal n autistic boy to address the many questions that people want him to answer about the way he behaves. The answers, and especially the things one can intuit by reading between the lines, are very enlightening and help one get a glimmer of the relation - or opposition - between the inner self and the outer behavior of people like this. It is startling, and almost unbelievable... But there are many similar narratives starting to appear, and they paint a similar picture. The most important and saddest revelation, to me, was the sense of sadness and guilt the boy felt about the way his behavior frustrated other people, and the great desire for people to not give up on him.

The author is young, and though wise in many ways, does as some reviews state seem to go too far speaking for all people on the spectrum... And yet, outside of specifics, I think he does make a good and legitimate spokesman. That is, one shouldn't attribute all of he specific behaviors and causes and feelings that he has to all on the spectrum, but his beautiful presentation of his case teaches people much about the disjunction between inner and outer self that is fairly common, and trains the mind a bit in how to try to see around this disjunction. I would say it's an invaluable text for anyone concerned for people on the spectrum.

And, it is beautifully written, poetic, and touching. The audiobook is wonderfully narrated. A gem.

6 people found this helpful

Eye-opening & Heartening

This book confirms much of what I have known most of my life but was unable to verbalize... a profoundly accurate description of the mysterious inner world of an autistic. The longer I listened to this young man's personal experience the more at ease and able to accept my own experience I became. I wanted to go out and immediately purchase a copy for everyone who knows me so they could see the daily struggles of myself and other brave souls on the autism spectrum. How desperately we just want to be loved and accepted the way we are... and to be included rather than excluded because we interact differently. Thank you Naoki for this inspirational book!

5 people found this helpful

Touching and insightful

What did you love best about The Reason I Jump?

As the parent of a severely autistic 20 year old, I found this book to be very insightful, inspiring and touching.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Naoki, of course.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

I love the introduction too. Any one with autism in their lives will relate!

5 people found this helpful

Want to be Amazed? - Listen!

This short book was recommended by a friend who has impeccable taste. I was a little unsure, but a recommendation from her is worth a great deal. The bottom-line, this book is fantastic!

This is a story told first person in question and answer mode from an autistic 13-year-old's POV. He is able to communicate via an alphabet glyph enabled computer and has written this book. He answers many questions and pries your heart open to the autistic community. He answers many questions, including why he jumps (name of the book). This is a very short listen and will change your perceptions and challenge what you've been told. I am sure parents are immersed in literature already; but, for the person who knows little this is eye opening. I give it my highest recommendation.

9 people found this helpful

If you just want to know...

The Reason I Jump is a book written in 2006 by a 13 year old child with autism. In it, he attempts to answer the basic questions one might ask of someone with a spectrum disorder. That is, if they weren’t too uncomfortable to ask such questions. I don’t normally review non-fiction, but I do follow science and the autism spectrum disorder has been featured a great deal in science during the past 15 years. And thanks to wackos, like Jenny McCarthy preaching nonsense about her mommy instincts being better than science, many people think autism is caused by vaccines despite numerous clinical studies to the contrary. The truth is, science has not completely determined the causes, though genetics seems to be a dominant factor. That digression aside, I decided to read this book because I don’t really know anybody with autism. I don’t know much about the disorder at all, and when I heard about this book, I thought it an excellent time to get some information straight from the source and what better source than from a child?

David Mitchell has a child with autism and a Japanese wife. These two circumstances led to his spearheading the translation of this monograph from Japanese to English, so if you enjoyed this work in English, you can thank him and his wife for wanting to help get this information to English speakers. An introduction written by David Mitchell appears at the beginning. I think he works a little too hard at trying to describe what it is like to have autism and should have stuck to what it was like being the parent of such a child. Regardless, his words did not detract from the rest of the book. I felt it appropriate to give him his due for his contributions to the publishing process, but that also means I have to ask why he threw in his two cents since we’re effectively reading to get a first hand account, not his interpretations of what it is like to be autistic.

The Reason I Jump is not written as a narrative. It is a simple list of frequently asked questions. Or, as I said above, questions people want to ask, but would feel too uncomfortable, or maybe fear it too politically incorrect to ask. But Don’t get me started on the PC nonsense. It is this sort of nonsense that prevents people from asking these questions when the answers would aid in understanding.

The book is actually quite refreshing I often find personalized accounts annoying to read because they constantly have to appeal to some sense of over stylized humanity. Apparently most accounts have to have some bizarre human angle to get people to “care” about it. I find it strange that people aren’t interested in something just for the sake of knowing. This is the primary reason I don’t read a lot Human interest stories. They may have an element of reality that most find alluring, but they’re written like fiction and it always makes me wonder what it is they’re leaving out or what is being embellished for effect. I don’t want fairy tale embellishments, I want the straight talk and this is exactly what this book provides.

Naoki Higashida cannot speak (at least at the time he wrote the book) but he could communicate by pointing at a laminated card with letters, so no doubt the economy of the book is due to the slow method by which it was written. In my opinion, long drawn out narratives should be antithetical to much non-fiction since the goal is to communicate ideas. One would think the author and the readers would want to get to the point.

If you think that a child, or in particular, a child with autism couldn’t possibly challenge a “neurotypical” person’s understanding of their own world view, I would wager something in the first dozen questions and answers will open your eyes. Speaking of eyes, that is one points he makes. He is/was always told to look someone in the eyes when speaking to them or being spoken to by them. He effectively begs the response question: Why would his understanding of the words be improved simply by making eye contact? Too true! Just because “normal” people feel compelled to garner social cues and other information through eye-contact, why do we insist the same action will/should have the same effect on someone whom we all agree does not process the world in the same way?

Naoki Higadisha describes people’s voices as being close or far away, like a dandelion or a mountain, only the actual distance does not determine how people with autism hear the voice. He doesn’t get into the factors that determine the distance of the voice at any given time, but rather he gives some simple advice to help a speaker draw their voice closer. He asks that you say “our” name first, so they know they are being spoken to. A simple elegant solution to a situation so both parties can relate.

“What’s the worst thing about having autism?”

“Would you like to be normal?”

Numerous “Why do you do this or that” questions are all examples of the types of insights Naoki Higadisha tries to answer. He does not pretend he can answer all these questions for every autistic person, but he gives his most reasonable guess. No doubt there will be questions you’ll feel should have been asked and answered, but I think that’s just a by product of being inquisitive. A person will ask several questions for each one answered on any topic, if they are truly engaged.

The book is fairly short and ends with a short story written by Naoki Higashida. I won’t spoil any of that for you and end my review with a simple recommendation. If you would like a bit of insight into how a different set of people think and perceive the world, and how you should interact with them, this book is a good start.

36 people found this helpful

Autism is a gift.

People consider autism a disability and yet, it is a gift. People with autism all seem to have different ways of experiencing the world in ways that a non-autistic person is not able. Some feel textures and are able to become the object, some have gifts of musical or artistic ability. This is a Q&A written by a young man with autism in Japan who answers popular questions about being a person with autism. He is remarkable and gives us answers to questions that help others know what it is like to live with autism. It is a fast read, well worth your time. If everyone just took the time to understand autism and other disabilities, what a different world this would be....

3 people found this helpful

Must Read

What did you love best about The Reason I Jump?

The author is a thirteen year old autistic boy. He gives such insight into what it is like to have autism that at times it is hard to remember he is only thirteen. Interwoven into the narration are tales he has written which fit beautifully into the whole.

7 people found this helpful