Higashida's The Reason I Jump

While reading through this book I was quickly captivated by the first page, and successfully drawn in even deeper throughout the progression of the novel. In this book, Higashida takes the reader with him on an exploration of many different emotions and relatable scenarios that strike a chord with the readers following along. Before reading through this book, I just knew a general idea of what it was about. All I knew was that it was written by a young boy with autism, and was then translated into English to share with a wider community by a well-known novelist by the name of David Mitchell. It wasn’t until I began to delve into the chapters that I was quickly informed of all of the details surrounding this book. The Reason I Jump is an English …show more content…
A standout message one can continually see is the repeated notion of ‘please accept and love us’. The author is living inside childhood autism and he describes what it is like to hear everything, but freeze when it’s time to speak. The pain that comes from others assuming you want to be alone, and the confusion that comes from sensing everything without a way to filter out what’s important. In the process, he explodes a number of misconceptions about autism. The author does not have the vocabulary of a young child, even though he loves preschool-level television shows; he wants friends and to be close to other people, just like those without ASD, and the conversations one might have with him can cause massive amounts of anxiety. The author clearly understands more about the human mind than most teenagers, and he displays that with a repeated notion of pleaded for the readers to understand his perspective and to grasp how he feels just like we do. Ironically, just as the young author is troubled by his inability to communicate his thoughts and desires to those he comes in contact with, we struggle with our ability to engage with those afflicted with autism. The thoughts presented help to give the reader a better understanding of what the world may be look through their eyes - from writing letters in the air, to the reasons they may not hear you until you say …show more content…
The emotional rollercoaster the author is able to take the reader on, to try and explain what daily life is like through his eyes captivates the reader and provides a new insight into how we are called to treat everyone we come into contact with. As a professional in the Speech Pathology field, we are bound by ASHA’s Code of Ethics to be fair to everyone no matter what, as stated in Principle I Rule C, “Individuals shall not discriminate in the delivery of professional services or in the conduct of research and scholarly activities on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity/gender expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, disability, culture, language, or dialect” (ASHA). However, as Christians we are also called to live a lifestyle that is not conformed to this world. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will”. As a Christian SLP this passage tells us directly how we are called by God to live, and to treat each client we could come into contact with. This book and its message has helped shape the way I will treat those with autism, and how not only will I not look down upon those with the disorder, but I will know how to better communicate and