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

Higashida answers the questions “Why do you like spinning?” (101). He says that some people with autism enjoy spinning because it makes it seem like an object is spinning when they do it. This sensation is a source of fun but also of control, as they can control “with perfect regularity” the speed and the way the object seems to spin (101).

Higashida addresses the question “Why do you flap your fingers and hands in front of your face?” (102). Higashida’s answer is that too much direct and unfiltered light can feel oppressive and overwhelming, as it causes sensory overload. In contrast, by flapping his hands in front of his face, he can filter this light, creating instead a pleasant sensation.

Higashida answers the question “Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks?” (103). Higashida says, in answering this, that unlike children without autism, some children with autism do not usually enjoy playing games involving fabrication and make believe. Rather, some enjoy giving order to things, which is why they may be drawn to activities like jigsaw puzzles and lining up blocks.

Higashida looks at the question “Why do you like being in the water?” (104). He says that he likes the water because it is calm and quiet there and he is free from hassle. In contrast, outside the water, there is “too much stimulation” for his senses (105). Higashida expresses his wish, in connection with this answer, that he could return to a primeval time before human beings evolved to live on dry land.

Higashida answers the question “Do you like adverts on TV?” (106). He notes that when certain ads come on television, some people with autism often rush to watch them. Higashida explains that this could be because ads that they have seen before are familiar and therefore reassuring to a person with autism. As Higashida puts it, seeing them is “a bit like being visited by old and dear friends” (106).

Higashida looks at the question “What kind of TV programs do you enjoy?” (108). Higashida says that he prefers programs with simpler and more straightforward stories. For with such stories, he can anticipate what happens next, and that is comforting in contrast to that which is unknown. Further, this sense of comfort grows when these stories are repeated.

Higashida tells the story of a young woman who loved dancing and whom everybody thought would keep dancing forever. The girl danced for a whole week without stopping, proclaiming, “How sublime it is to dance!” (111). However, on the eighth day of dancing, a man appeared and asked her to dance. She responded that she had discovered something more important than dancing, and then the man and woman went to live together in a small house.

Higashida answers the question “Why do you memorize train timetables and calendars?” (113). Higashida explains that some people with autism memorize timetables because they enjoy numbers. Numbers, he explains, are fixed and unchanging and thus provide a sense of security. Likewise, timetables are fixed and unchanging. Such security stands in contrast to human relationships and emotions, which are ambiguous and uncertain and, therefore, for some people with autism, a source of anxiety.

Higashida looks at the question “Do you dislike reading and unpicking long sentences?” (115). Higashida says that he is not opposed to long sentences and is “always hungry to learn about lots of different things” (115). However, the problem is that his attention span is short, and so he quickly becomes distracted by longer sentences. As such, Higashida recommends that different learning strategies should be used for some children with autism. For example, Higashida explains how simple story books hold his attention and can be used to stimulate his imagination.

Higashida explores the question “What do you think about running races?” (117). Higashida says that he likes running for fun or when being chased by someone. Yet, he admits, he struggles to run properly when told to in a race. This is in part because when he tries to think about how to run, when instructed to, he loses control of his body. Another reason, says Higashida, is that he dislikes competition and beating people.

Higashida looks at the question “Why do you enjoy going out for walks so much?” (119). The reason for this is, Higashida suggests, that some people with autism love being in nature. In turn, some people with autism love nature because it allows them to “be alive in the world” (120). It offers a calming respite from reality through the calming “greenness” of plants and trees (119).

Higashida answers the question “Do you enjoy your free time?” (121). Higashida says that “free time” for some people with autism is not really free in the same way that it is for people without autism. For some people with autism, it is difficult to find something enjoyable to do on the spur of the moment. Rather, finding something that some people with autism genuinely enjoy and want to do takes time.

Higashida explores the question “Would you give us an example of something people with autism really enjoy?” (123). Higashida says that, above all, what some people with autism enjoy is “making friends with nature” (123). In dealing with others, some people with autism are continually anxious about the impression they are making and how they are being judged for lacking “people skills” (123). In contrast, being in nature allows some people with autism, for a moment, to relax and be in a space free from judgment or worry.