Autistic children enjoy the familiar rhythm and sounds involved in repeating the same questions and receiving the same answers. Naoki explained that the process of question and answer is like a game of toss and catch. As a parent of a child with autism, I eagerly read the section on Why do you ask the same questions over and over again, as my son does this all the time. The questions and answers are easy to understand and give great insight into the way that Naoki views the world. What I really liked about the book was the simplicity of the format. The book proved to be so popular in Japan that it has now been translated into English.

The text is in question and answer format, tackling many of the main questions surrounding autism: Why do you talk so loudly? Why can’t you have a proper conversation? Why do you make a huge fuss over tiny mistakes? Naoki answers each of these questions in his own special way, by means of an alphabet grid, his preferred method of non-vocal communication. When he was just 13, he wrote The Reason I Jump, a unique book that offers a rare glimpse into the mind of an autistic child. Naoki Higishada was born in 1992 and was diagnosed with autism when he was six years old. People talk down to you as if you were a child. You open your mouth and the wrong words come out.

Sensory input floods your system, overwhelming you with bright colours, patterns and odours that attack you from every side, without warning. Sounds seem either deafeningly loud or hopelessly muffled. You swirl around almost weightlessly, with no control over your limbs. Imagine if you will, a world where the normal laws of physics have been slightly changed. Summary: A very special book about autism, written by a teenager who suffers from the condition.

The reason i jump pages