Jackson writes books constantly. He can write sentences with much more complexity than he can speak. He spends a great deal of time writing books and will work on his books for years and then hand them to me (him mom) fully completed with illustrations and say, “Please get this published.” At some point, our website will self-publish and sell his books too. Again, this website is all about making Jackson’s dreams a reality. He would like to be a published author, so we will set that as our next goal.
A page layout from his book, “Strega Ala”
Jackson also spends time writing songs and poems. I’m struck by how someone without the ability to speak fluidly can write so beautifully. Jackson writes lyrical poems full of empathy and concern for others–skills not typically associated with someone who has autism. He is particularly drawn to issues of social justice (or injustice). Here is one of his poems about slavery he wrote for school:
“I’m a man whose from
Benin, a land of joy and
happiness from afar.
I’m a man from
beautiful Benin, I’m a
chief of my Fon tribe.
Now, I’m encountering
a battle between the
foreign whites, all of…
…a sudden, we surrendered
and became slaves, going
to a new Haiti.
I’m now a man that
is now a slave that works,
plantation working.”
Jackson’s EyeTV 2015