Book in Japan intended to help carers support children with autism, compares autistic people to foreigners

By Barrier Free Japan

September 26 2022

JAPAN -A book entitled ‘Latest Illustrated Books to Support Children on the Autism Spectrum’, published in Japan in 2019 compares talking to people with autism to talking to foreigners.

The book states: “Basics of Contacting People Treat them as if they were foreigners.

Children on the autism spectrum, whose feelings, senses, and values are different from those of normal children, and who do not communicate well, are like “foreigners” with different languages and cultures.

Therefore, we should not blame them if they do not understand common manners and rules.

When you teach them something they don’t understand, you should try to be “easy to understand and kind,” just as you would teach a foreigner.”

The original Japanese test reads;

“ 接し方の基本7
「外国人」に接するつもりで

感情や感覚、価値観が普通の子どもとは異なり、コミュニケーションもうまくとれない自閉症スペクトラムの子どもは、例えていえば、言語や文化の異なる「外国人」と似ています。

ですから、一般的なマナーやルールが分からなくても、それを責めるべきではありません。

分からないことを教えてあげる時も、外国人に教えるように、「分かりやすく親切に」を心がけると良いでしょう.”