About Naoki Higashida:
Naoki Higashida is a Japanese poet, novelist, essayist. Higashida was diagnosed as autism at the age of 5. He was not able to make himself understood to people around him and his behavior was considered erratic. Despite his disability, Higashida quickly took to learning Japanese characters. By attending a nearby cram school, he was able to better express himself. Soon he began writing Japanese characters with the help of adults who assisted by guiding his hand. He was able to express some of his emotions. Higashida’s mother noticed his power of expression and encouraged him to write poems and short stories. At the age of 11, and again when he was 12, Higashida won first prize in the Grimm Fairy Tales Contest, a story writing competition.