My son is disabled. He was diagnosed with autism and severe intellectual disability. Whenever I broke the news to someone who wasn’t too close to me, a somewhat uncomfortable expression would appear on their face and they would become very careful with the words they say to me. But there was just one person at my workplace who directly asked, “What kind of disability is that?” This person was Mr. K, who was nearing retirement age and often described by our colleagues as a person who goes at his own pace and can’t really read the atmosphere. I was a salaried employee in a company when my son was diagnosed at the age of two and a half. I tried to casually bring this up to my acquaintances and work colleagues but it’s rare that we can have deep conversations at work. Most people are under the impression that they shouldn’t ask too much in detail, but it was Mr. K who doesn’t get such an impression that posed this question to me. I was grateful that he did but then, I realized that autism isn’t something that could be briefly explained. When I talk to my close friends, I have a lot of time to explain things step by step, but it is difficult to fully convey things when time is limited. Because autism is a spectrum and it can’t be described as one simple thing. In my son’s case, he is hyperactive and has speech delays which leads to a difficulty in expressing himself with words, and might end up hitting the other party. Other children my not hit people, but they may suddenly raise their voices, or wouldn’t respond when you’re talking to them. Challenges and reactions vary from child to child which makes them all very different. Which is why, when I was asked, “What kind of disability is autism?” I found it so difficult to put into words that honestly, I often wished that there was an explanatory leaflet for this. Which led me to the light bulb moment of “Well, then I should just create one for my son!” Following this, summarized my son’s special characteristics on an A5-sized paper and handed it to anyone who asked about it. I felt that other people’s understanding of this became far better though this simple act of providing a written explanation of the problems by son experiences. And so, thanks to Mr. K who can’t read the atmosphere, the “Explanatory Leaflet on My Son” was born. I am deeply grateful to Mr. K who inspired me to do this.
-KUDEN rinlife Magazine vol.1
Writer:Harumi Naito