![]() ![]() And the more context one assimilates, the more problems arise. This phenomenon has left the veracity of Higashida’s book, which was itself written through facilitated communication, in dispute. It falls foul of the ‘ideomotor phenomenon,’ whereby the subconscious desires of the adult guiding the hand create the sentences that are apparently being expressed by their patient. Facilitated communication has been discredited as pseudoscientific by the scientific establishment. It may seem innocuous, but a passing comment about gainsayers disputing its reputability ought to tip you off that there is more going on than is being said. The second act promotes a therapy technique called facilitated communication, in which a therapist guides the hand of a nonverbally autistic person onto a letter board, so that they can formulate words and sentences. The first two-filmmaking, which is decent, and the arguments, which are persuasive-do not pose any difficulties. Sounds simple right? Unfortunately, the truth is messier. The film’s stated ambition is to convey messages from nonverbal autistic persons themselves, one of whom says “I think we can change the conversation by being part of the conversation.” It’s a familiar take on this topic the struggle to communicate in a world that doesn’t know how to understand them, and to be accepted for who they are. The dividing line between these two groups gets nearer to the heart of The Reason I Jump’s purpose. ![]() Combined with carefully-constructed sound design, its presence in the montages accentuates the intense, vibrant sensory experience of a nonverbal autistic person to the non-autistic viewer. The stylisation does have a pragmatic use though. Here, Rothwell opts for a heavily-graded visual aesthetic which consequently makes the non-fiction sequences look less real. They aren’t mutually exclusive categories of course-this is after all a documentary film-but they do entail different qualities. ![]() It muddles the lines between documentary and film. Based on a book of the same name purportedly written (more on that later) by Naoki Higashida-a Japanese man with nonverbal autism- The Reason I Jump from director Jerry Rothwell follows the lives of people around the world who also have the disorder, a subset of autism defined by an inability to speak.Īlso featured throughout are their family members, including translator David Mitchell (not the comedian), who helped render Higashida’s prose in English.īlending interviews, a re-enactment of Higashida’s childhood, and photography montages doesn’t make for entirely successful filmmaking. 'Despite the Herculean effort of translating the autistic experience into language, The Reason I Jump reads effortlessly, each page challenging preconceptions that autistic people lack empathy, humour or imagination.' - Independent It gives us an exceptional chance to enter the mind of another and see the world from a strange and fascinating perspective.The book also features eleven original illustrations, inspired by Naoki's words, by the artistic duo Kai and Sunny. He also shows the way he thinks and feels about his world - other people, nature, time and beauty, and himself.Ībundantly proving that people with autism do possess imagination, humour and empathy, he also makes clear how badly they need our compassion, patience and understanding.Īuthor David Mitchell and his wife have translated Naoki's book so that it might help others dealing with autism and generally illuminate a little-understood condition. Using a question and answer format, Naoki explains things like why he talks loudly or repeats the same questions, what causes him to have panic attacks, and why he likes to jump. Written by Naoki Higashida when he was only thirteen, this remarkable book provides a rare insight into the often baffling behaviour of autistic children. How did I find out? By other people telling me that I was different from everyone else. When I was small., I didn't even know that I was a kid with special needs. ![]()
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