Naoki Higashida

“What I, as a person with special needs, longed for was to be taught what role, what purpose, I could have in…

— Naoki Higashida

But I ask you, those of you who are with us all day, not to stress yourselves out because of us. When…

— Naoki Higashida

People with autism never, ever feel at ease, wherever we are. Because of this, we wander off - or run away -…

— Naoki Higashida

The thought that our lives are the source of other people's unhappiness, that's plain unbearable.

— Naoki Higashida

“People can only understand their own pain. Even a genuine desire to help a person with a disability can become a burden…

— Naoki Higashida

“Traveling with people who have special needs might present difficulties, but please, let it happen. We all need a break and a…

— Naoki Higashida

When you see an object, it seems that you see it as an entire thing first, and only afterwards do its details…

— Naoki Higashida

True compassion is about not bruising the other person’s self-respect.

— Naoki Higashida

“Naoki is anticipating his audience’s emotions and manipulating them. That is empathy. The conclusion is that both emotional poverty and an aversion…

— Naoki Higashida

“I would like people to stop pressuring children to make friends. Friendships can’t be artificially created.”

— Naoki Higashida

“... for me the number one reason is that us people with autism love the greenness of nature. ... Our fondness for…

— Naoki Higashida

“autism is more like retina patterns than measles”

— Naoki Higashida

“What brought you here isn't your fault. We human beings have to live each day to its fullest and do our best…

— Naoki Higashida

“So how do people with autism see the world, exactly? We, only we, can ever know the answer to that one! Sometimes…

— Naoki Higashida

“We do take pleasure in one thing that you probably won't be able to guess. Namely, making friends with nature. ... nature…

— Naoki Higashida

“When boundaries of behavior are set, it’s crucial to respect those boundaries, but it’s doubly crucial that the boundaries are appropriate and…

— Naoki Higashida

“Education is supposed to help the child and parents: it mustn’t end up being a kind of holding cell. For this reason,…

— Naoki Higashida

“However, why does it so often fail to dawn on them that if we’re smart enough to understand their instructions, we might…

— Naoki Higashida

“What makes us smile from the inside is seeing something beautiful, or a memory that makes us laugh. This generally happens when…

— Naoki Higashida

“I think that people with autism are born outside the regime of civilization. Sure, this is just my own made-up theory, but…

— Naoki Higashida

We get swallowed up by the illusion that unless we can find a place to belong, we are going to be all…

— Naoki Higashida

“Whenever I get some kind of a cut or scrape, I want to stick on a Band-Aid without delay. Sometimes I put…

— Naoki Higashida

“[When explaining over reactions to small mistakes] I get swallowed up in the moment, and I can't tell the right response from…

— Naoki Higashida

“Yes, raising a child with autism can be highly demanding, but please remember, just as you worry about your child, so your…

— Naoki Higashida

“The best reaction to our mistakes will vary from person to person, and according to his or her age, but please remember:…

— Naoki Higashida