Fascinating book & documentary on autism - The Reason I Jump

[masraum]

I don't know that I've ever known on met anyone autistic. I suppose it's possible/likely that I've known or met folks that were on the super mild end of the spectrum. I'm sure that some of the folks that were unpopular in school were "on the spectrum." But I've certainly never run across anyone at the extreme end, and I don't really know that much about autism in general, just tidbits.

I was talking to someone this past weekend who's listening to a book on autism.

The book was written by a 13yo severely autistic Japanese boy that is unable to speak. At some point they realized that while he couldn't speak, he could spell and communicate using an alphabet board, which is how he wrote the book. It's fascinating because he's an intelligent young man "trapped" in a body that he can't completely control. I was told about some of the book and immediately wrote it down so I could read it later. While searching for it, I discovered that there's a documentary (available on netflix) based on or maybe inspired by, the book. I watched that. It's interesting and definitely gives you a glimpse into the lives of a handful of folks with autism with severely limited to no verbal communications skills and the families of those folks. I am going to get a copy of the book and read it as I think the documentary is a very superficial take on the info in the book, and the book sounded really interesting. Even so, the documentary for me was absolutely worth a watch and provided a fascinating and educational look into a world that I knew very little about. One of the things that was the most fascinating was the realization that these folks that would (may still be in many cases) locked/shut away are intelligent folks that are trapped without a way to communicate (which is, fortunately, changing!)

You’ve never read a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious, subtle, and complex life within.

Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words, sentences, and thoughts that he is unable to speak out loud, Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. Questions such as: “Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?” “Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks?” “Why don’t you make eye contact when you’re talking?” and “What’s the reason you jump?” (Naoki’s answer: “When I’m jumping, it’s as if my feelings are going upward to the sky.”) With disarming honesty and a generous heart, Naoki shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. His insights—into the mystery of words, the wonders of laughter, and the elusiveness of memory—are so startling, so strange, and so powerful that you will never look at the world the same way again.

In his introduction, bestselling novelist David Mitchell writes that Naoki’s words allowed him to feel, for the first time, as if his own autistic child was explaining what was happening in his mind. “It is no exaggeration to say that The Reason I Jump allowed me to round a corner in our relationship.” This translation was a labor of love by David and his wife, KA Yoshida, so they’d be able to share that feeling with friends, the wider autism community, and beyond. Naoki’s book, in its beauty, truthfulness, and simplicity, is a gift to be shared.

[Seahawk]

I’m in.

Thank you.

[berettafan]

Wonderful. I hope it's real. Have some doubt on that and feel badly that i do. But alas...

Agree so strongly on OP's comment about unpopular people in school being on the spectrum. It is, imo, a massively misunderstood phenomenon and missed diagnosis.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by berettafan

Wonderful. I hope it's real. Have some doubt on that and feel badly that i do. But alas...

Agree so strongly on OP's comment about unpopular people in school being on the spectrum. It is, imo, a massively misunderstood phenomenon and missed diagnosis.

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me at all if I wasn't at the very mild end.

The documentary was definitely convincing to me. Not that it couldn't be faked, but if it was, they did a remarkable job.

[john70t]

In my later years I've suspected I've been slightly autistic/neurotic/OCD as well at some times. Less so than family.
(but without the savant part). :/

Dad once served a short time in military intelligence and got those shots. What else nature was I exposed to.

Severe Autism is actually a hyper-sensitivity to stimulus:
They shut off all further external input with pure concentration.
Like a submarine sonar operator, less is more.

The Temple Grandin movie is worth watching.

[LWJ]

My eldest has Autism. I believe my father, brother, and niece do as well.

It’s different. It’s challenging. And, I promise you that you have most certainly met many people on the spectrum. There are many of them.

[berettafan]

i think i've shared this here before. autistic man talks about the history of the diagnosis. absolutely worth the listen and comments section is worth the read as well.

[jhynesrockmtn]

Originally Posted by berettafan

Wonderful. I hope it's real. Have some doubt on that and feel badly that i do. But alas...

Agree so strongly on OP's comment about unpopular people in school being on the spectrum. It is, imo, a massively misunderstood phenomenon and missed diagnosis.

You hope what is real? The documentary or autism? Sorry, not trying to be argumentative. I just didn't quite understand your statement.

I think OP is spot on with regards to unpopular people being on the spectrum, as we know it today. Back in my high school days, we had special education, but it was limited to those with obvious disabilities like downs syndrome. I think a lot of folks we thought were weird or different, were either on the spectrum or had some form of learning disability.

I worked in the disabilities field for many years as a CFO/COO type. I'm an accountant by training, not a medical person. But I have seen an evolving understanding of disabilities over the last 40 years or so that helps explain how a much larger group of people navigate the world differently than what we perceive as "normal", or did, back in the 70's/80's. I'll have to check out the documentary.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by jhynesrockmtn

You hope what is real? The documentary or autism? Sorry, not trying to be argumentative. I just didn't quite understand your statement.

I think what he's talking about is that there's doubt that someone with non-verbal autism would be able to communicate through writing.

If you look at the Wikipedia entry, you'll see that there's doubt about the authenticity of the book.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Reason_I_Jump

[masraum]

Originally Posted by LWJ

My eldest has Autism. I believe my father, brother, and niece do as well.

It’s different. It’s challenging. And, I promise you that you have most certainly met many people on the spectrum. There are many of them.

Right. I work with a guy that's high functioning. The average person wouldn't know by talking to him or interacting with him.

I think (again, far from expert) that in the past the more mild folks were diagnosed as having Asperger's and the more extreme folks were diagnosed with autism. And even then there were degrees off both (like there are in anything).

I'm sure that there's a ton of high functioning folks that either haven't been diagnosed or have but don't advertise.

[jhynesrockmtn]

Originally Posted by masraum

Right. I work with a guy that's high functioning. The average person wouldn't know by talking to him or interacting with him.

I think (again, far from expert) that in the past the more mild folks were diagnosed as having Asperger's and the more extreme folks were diagnosed with autism. And even then there were degrees off both (like there are in anything).

I'm sure that there's a ton of high functioning folks that either haven't been diagnosed or have but don't advertise.

I have a buddy in the Seattle area who is one of the top ENT docs in the area. I always thought he was high functioning on the spectrum. Their youngest son was/is a savant in many ways. Very typical spectrum fixations on things like pokemon as a young boy. Issues with textures. Very limited foods he would eat. Brilliant in certain academics. Played piano like a pro very quickly. Could play a video game until he basically fell over from exhaustion. He really struggled socially when he was younger in school. Luckily his older brother took care of anyone who may have tried to bully him or make fun of him. Today he's 30ish, graduated from Yale as a medical doc and doing research. Doing very well.