His mother intervened and replied that he wanted to be "a happy working adult." Seeing the mother be so strong and supportive of her son inspired Tobe to create With the Light. Most could answer the question, but one little boy could not. All the children there were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up. With the Light is actually based on a mother/son pair whom the author met at a school event. The first volume chronicles Sachiko’s journey with Hikaru as he reaches kindergarten age, and how she struggles to find him a place in a school system and world that doesn’t really seem to want him there. Then there is her mother-in-law, who is constantly putting her down and blaming Hikaru’s problems on “bad parenting.” Reaching a breaking point, Sachiko finally seeks out a counseling center that helps her realize autism will not go away, and that she needs to change in order to best help her son. She is already stuggling at home, given her husband works all the time and barely interacts with her or her child. When they ask one doctor, he says that Hikaru is deaf, but a second opinion from another doctor provides a much more serious diagnosis of autism.Īt first, Sachiko has a hard time with the diagnosis and experiences a bout of denial. Shortly after he is born, Sachiko and her husband Masato realize that he is not speaking or responding to speech. Hikaru (whose name means “to be bright” in Japanese) is very different from other babies. Inside Out, Portrait of an Eating Disorder.
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