The Reason I Jump

This movie was stunning and impressive. I just saw it at Sundance and everyone walked out uplifted and overwhelmed. It's a must see.

Through understanding and listening to people, allowing them to communicate in their own way, we can all move towards better awareness, compassion and work towards ending misunderstanding and mistreatment. Many need to learn to look beyond external difference and see that there is a whole human being, with thoughts, emotions and as much of a right to fulfilling life as any other. I do wish though, that David Mitchell had stayed behind the scenes. Naoki Higashida's message is strong, it doesn't need to be 'neurotypical-splained'. There is enough domination of discussion of autism by parents of autistic children, sidelining actually autistic people who are able to share our own experiences.

This movie is probably the most important movie ever made, as it in part sheds light on the fact that people with this condition have motor issues, and without typing cannot demonstrate their intelligence. Not being taught to type leads to devastating, lifelong consequences for around 33 million people with non speaking autism worldwide.

For me the main disappointment in the film was its segment filmed in Africa, stating that many in the community believed people with this disability were demon possessed. I was horrified as sitting next to me in the theatre as this aired, was my charge, who has autism and types to communicate (independently). He was traumatised immediately and demanded to leave (we were until then, thoroughly enjoying the movie). It was disastrous. The african girl (featured in the doco) also appeared to became distressed after hearing the 'demon possesion' conversations.

This movie is NOT suitable for those with autism.

It is still an important movie that I hope will rapidly dispel the misconceptions of non speaking autism. Those with the condition really don't need the additional adversity, that comes with not learning to type and remaining grossly underestimated.

Typing transformed my charge's life. His frequent, lengthy, crying spells completely stopped, as did his outbursts and assaults. He has been happy, confident and drug free for nine years now.

Teach the non speakers to type; it takes time to become an independent typer, but the benefits are immediate and profound.

You can see the love and craft in every frame of this movie. There were certain characters I would like to have seen more of, but I understand the constraints. The way it renders autism is very humanistic and he film does a really great job of bringing the viewer into this world. I saw it at the Hot Docs online and really wish I could have seen it on the big screen It reminded me of another film I saw at Sundance a few years ago called Notes on Blindness which does a phenomenal job of 'seeing' the day to day of what a blind person's life could be like in an extraordinary way.

Shares how those on the non verbal autism spectrum process their environmental data which is different for each of the 6 people this doc focuses on. Based on The Reason I Jump: One Boy's Voice from the Silence of Autism The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida.