Invited Lecture: The Reason I Jump: A Book from the boy with a Silent Voice

This presentation will introduce an exceptional young man on the autism spectrum, one who calls for a rethinking of our role in the lives of those who live with autism. Naoki Higashide is a well-known young author from Japan who is essentially nonverbal. And yet, he advocates loudly and strongly for people with autism through his poetic-prose writing, a skill his mother taught him so he would be able to communicate. His writing voice encourages autistic individuals to accept their lives: ‘Having no friends is nothing to be ashamed of… Let us all follow and be true to our singular path through life and to live a life where I feel blessed to have autism’. But he also urges us to rethink our ideas about the autistic frame of mind, and accept their need for sameness and solitude. This presentation suggests that we, the clinicians, require a paradigm shift in our work with neuroatypical individuals on the autism spectrum. Naoki’s silent voice speaks to us loudly through his writing. Instead of trying to make them more like us, we can serve them better by listening to their internal voices, recognizing their challenges, accepting their uniqueness and helping them achieve a fulfilling life.