The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism

The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a great book to be written by someone of any age and the fact that it is written by a 13 year old is amazing. The book reads like a FAQ of questions that anybody especially a parent of children with Autism or Asperger Syndrome have asked/shouted at their children about why they keep doing certain things. I bought this book after a particularly heated argument with my 8 year old. this book did help at the very least it told me that many of the things I questions e.g. "Why do you keep doing the same thing after I have told you a million times not to?". Yes all kids do this but is Autistic and AS children seem to take it to another level. In between questions we are threated to a couple of short stories written by Naoki. these are great and remember the boy was only 13 when he wrote this book. It shows that creative writing is definitely Naoki's outlet and wrenches at my heart that such a creative and intelligent boy has so much problem communicating verbally or in person.

Two thing to remember about this book. Everyone with Autism or AS is different, but they do share many traits, so as insightful as Naoki's views are for himself might now apply to all children/people. However it does offer a first hand perspective which is otherwise unheard of. the other is the message/theme that Naoki is trying to get across. "DON'T GIVE UP ON US". Yes they might keep doing the same thing when they are told not to, but you still have to keep telling them not to till maybe on the ten million and one time it might get through to the child then they know it for life. As Naoki points out they might not look like it but they are learning slowly but surely they are. This book is a great insight into a great and creative mind that has been trapped inside a body with fewer outlets then are available to the rest of us, however with patience and understand many other children could be allowed to find their own outlet and unleash their ideas on the world.

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