Throughout the text so far it is very clear that Higashida has a very Phenomenological way in which he expresses the questions and their responses. I would say he does this in an effort to make the text as understandable and approachable as well. Seeing as how the ideal person Higashida is imagining would be considered Neurotypical and would otherwise not be aware of the many reasons as to why the actions that come up happen for example, Q2 where Higashida explains why people with Autism talk so loudly and weirdly hence the question and answer format.
Some examples of the Phenomenology present in the text are present on page 35 Q3, “Unlike the words we’re ordered to say, repeating questions we already know the answers to can be a pleasure – it’s playing with sound and rhythm”. It seems that by adding in the feelings of sound and rhythm it’s as though it makes the tension of the situation not as important as the actual situation and by stating it as a pleasure makes for the reader to have a sense of empathy to understand these actions with a clearer perspective.
In conclusion I do find the format of the book to be very comforting because it is very straight forward in addressing many of the questions that may come up in everyday interaction between Neurotypical and Autistic individuals. I did chose this question because it helped to frame my thoughts as I re-read through the text.
Ashlie, I agree with you on the format of the book. It’s great! It’s easy to read and the chapters aren’t long either. I think that the short chapters helped to keep my attention. He doesn’t go too in depth about what he is talking about, he says just enough to make us, or me, get an idea of what life is like for him. What I found interesting was when in Q3 he mentions that his memory is like a pool of dots. He also says that he believes a “normal” person’s memory is arranged like a line. For me this drew a similarity between him and I. I am a neurotypical adult and more often than not I feel as if my memory is like a pool of dots. So he isn’t alone on that one.
Ashlie, I would agree with your view of the novel completely. I found reading the text very helpful because it specifically addresses the audience, who may not understand the phenomenological differences between what we consider “normal” and an autistic child. I have personal experience with these frustrations and often found myself asking the same questions he has addressed. Higashida wrote beautifully the way his believes his mind functions. I, like many others, can empathize with Higashida. I felt guilty not knowing the real struggle children with autism go through each and every day. In simple gestures like speaking and responding, which come so naturally to me, can be one of the hardest tasks an autistic child may have in his or her day. The question and answers are very straightforward and I think this really helps the reader to understand the differences from being inside the child’s mind and being the observer.
Hey Ashlie! I 100% agree with you on how Higashida’s use of phenomenology helps readers understand the text better. I would like to add to your response by saying it also helps Higashida’s message/the point of his book – to help people better understand autistic people. Higashida almost always seems to conclude the questions with a plea for patience, understanding, and sympathy from the outside world. His phenomenological experience evokes feelings which we can sympathize or empathize with.
The example you chose to discuss also brings up another phenomenological moment: “I imagine a normal person’s memory is arranged continuously, like a line. My memory, however, is more like a pool of dots. I’m always picking up these dots – by asking questions – I can arrive back at the memory that the dots represent.” The key word here is “imagine”. I believe Professor Tougaw had mentioned it this class on Thursday: Higashida does not know how an NT brains function, or in other words, he doesn’t know how a normal brain works. What he does know is how his own brain works and he not only explains himself but he gives us a visual image of it. Can you imagine him hand picking these dots?
In addition, I also enjoyed this Q&A format. It’s direct and leaves almost no loose ends. However, I wonder how we the readers would be affected if this was in novel form.
Great points. I would argue that it’s not just Higashida who loves playing with sound and rhythm-almost everyone does, at least a little bit. I’d imagine that it’s Higashida, who describes his own body as “limited” or “unresponsive,” who find himself effectively unable to do it in another way than by repeating words or sentences he knows and has heard. His phenomenological explanation of the way he perceives things shows just how much more sensitive he is than what we would expect from the average person. In fact, I think there is something to take away in his enthusiastic descriptions of how he feels things. His answer in Q47, feeling as though he is being “swallowed up” into nature simply through observing it, is something many of us need to learn, especially today, when numb = cool.
Ashlie,
I agree with you and everybody else in this thread on the format of the book. It was clear, concise, and made the book and overall easy read. The way the author positions the novel in a question and answer format allow a lot of misconceptions about autism to be cleared up, if not understood. To me autism was a bit hard to fully comprehend, I was not sure what the mind of someone with autism had to suffer through or how simple tasks are so complicated as jessie mentioned. I had to take a moment to really appreciate the little things, even things as simple as words, it was something I had probably taken for granted up until now. It goes to show every little thing is a blessing, some are blessings in disguise but a blessing none the less.
Ashlie, I have to agree with you and everyone else on the thread concerning the format of the book. I think that it all goes back to Higashida expresses all throughout his book, that simple things just make it easier for him to control his own body or way of expression and that reflects in his clear, concise and straight to the point format. I think it also uncomplicated the way in which we, the readers, understand the way he views the world.