A Father's Quest to Heal His Son
The Horse Boy
Photo: Justin Hennard
A family's journey of autism, healing and adventure.
One in 150 children is diagnosed with autism, a label that often brings despair to the entire family and carries little hope of a normal life for the child. When Rupert Isaacson found out his son Rowan was autistic, like any other parent he felt devastated, afraid he might never be able to communicate with his child. That all changed the day Rowan met Betsy.
Betsy was the neighbor's horse. Initially, Isaacson thought it dangerous for Rowan to be near animals because of his autism, but when Rowan deliberately put himself in front of Betsy one day, she responded gently. She seemed to understand Rowan and wanted to help him. The two quickly developed a strong bond. That same year, Rowan met some shaman healers through Isaacson's humanitarian work, and they also helped improve his condition immensely.
Isaacson was struck with a crazy idea: Why not take Rowan to Mongolia? The first country to domesticate horses nearly 6,000 years ago and where shamanism, along with Buddhism, are the state religions. The ideal intersection of two already successful therapies for Rowan. He recounts the trip in an emotional and beautiful new book, “The Horse Boy: A Father's Quest to Heal His Son,” and a documentary selected for the Sundance Film Festival, which will be out in theaters this fall. AOL Health recently caught up with the author to ask him a few questions about his experiences with autism, healing and adventure.
AOL Health: When did you first notice something might be wrong with Rowan?
Isaacson: We first noticed something was wrong when he was about 14 months old, when, having started to acquire several words, Rowan suddenly lost them. By 18 months, we were seeing obsessive and repetitive behaviors such as lining up of toys rather than playing with them, babbling instead of speaking, and the beginning of strange and terrible tantrums -- which, it turns out, were neurologically based [read more about symptoms of autism]. He also wasn't pointing. This may not sound like much, but it is a very important psychological milestone that most infants reach by age one. Yet he was so emotionally connected we initially thought it couldn't be autism. Autistic kids are often, in fact mostly, very emotionally connected, and the idea that they aren't is largely a myth. Because of this, we didn't get his diagnosis until he was two and a half. In retrospect, we probably missed six months of intervention time.
AOL Health: There are many reports that animals, horses in particular, help autistic children make great strides. Why do you think that is?
Isaacson: Horses are highly social animals and are naturally predisposed to connect with other horses and even other species. But really, it's a beautiful mystery. I was actually keeping Rowan away from horses because I thought he was unsafe around them. He found his own way to Betsy, and when he threw himself on the ground in front of her that first time I thought he would be trampled. Instead she displayed what's known as “obeisance.” This is when a horse drops its head very low and begins to lick and chew with its lips. It's a submissive gesture, like a dog showing its belly. I've trained horses for years and had never seen a horse spontaneously do this to a human being before. Something direct was passing between them.
Continued: Rupert Isaacson brings his son to be healed in Mongolia
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Darlingtonnative 01:14:44 AM Jul 20 2009
Apparently it is a combination of the thimerosal that is used in vaccines as a preservative and what is in our overly processed, genetically modified food is a cause, but not necessarily the only cause, of autism. The Amish eat mostly home grown, non-GMO foods, and they have almost no autism, certainly a tiny fraction of what most other Americans get. I'm also guessing they don't get as many shots as youngsters do today either. I heard Robert Kennedy Jr. point out a few years ago that autism was unknown to science before the 1930's when they started using thimerosal in vaccines but it wasn't until 1989 when the number of shots given to infants and young children went off the scale that autism took a dramatic increase. Since this was also around the time that GMO corn and soy was secretly introduced into the American diet in a big way I suspect that there may be a synergistic effect of the two. Even the soft drink makers substituted high fructose CORN SYRUP for sugar cane in their sodas
FriendlyFace28 02:26:21 PM Jul 19 2009
Please be wary of these as I have seen many families fall victim to their claims, only to waste money and, more importantly, valuable time that could have been spent on effective interventions. Children with Autism need to be taught how to communicate within their environment. No pill is going to do that. I am happy to answer any questions or give advice on speech and language intervention options. Feel free to email me at any time.
FriendlyFace28 02:22:48 PM Jul 19 2009
I work as a speech-language pathologist with experience working with children on the Autism Spectrum. It is very frustrating that the exact cause of Autism is not confirmed. This makes a path for many theories. My professional opinion is that vaccines do NOT cause Autism. The research does not support the claims that they do. It is understandable for grieving families to latch onto this as a cause because symptoms of Autism tend to appear around the same time vaccines are given. I have worked with clients who, for religious reasons, were not vaccinated and they were still diagnosed with Autism. There are many people and companies out there that are taking advantage of this false claim and the desperation of grieving parents. They offer potions and pill and special diets and claim that they "remove toxins" and "cure Autism". Please be wary of these as I have seen many families fall victim to their claims, only to waste money and, more importantly, valuable time that could have
TML2662 09:43:34 AM Jul 19 2009
I am reading Isaacson's book, "The Horse Boy" now. I was able to get a copy at my public library. It is so well written and just an inspiration for any parent, or anyone for that matter, that when faced with a challenging situation that there is always something that can be done to make it better, even if the situation seems impossible. I have a niece with a genetic disorder called "Triple X Syndrome", which has a few similarities to autism, but it's not nearly as severe, and she too is so in tune with animals, particularly horses. I wish the Isascson family all the best.
Ljchorn 09:04:19 AM Jul 19 2009
This story touched my heart. I can't wait for the book to come out. The love of a parent can't be measured. Thank you for sharing your love with us.Jean
HeliaRivera 08:00:05 AM Jul 19 2009
An amazing quest and story. It's good to know this kind of therapy is working for your family, may you continue to be blessed with progress. I work with the developmentally disabled community and unfortunately not everyone can afford the expense of traveling to such distances. Are you planning on running an organization in the US that would offer such services to those willing to travel to your establishment. I will certainly share your story, thanks you for sharing. Helia
Woofenill6 06:53:19 AM Jul 19 2009
This is an enlightening story. We've heard of the horse/child bond in Autism as well as those challenged in other ways, but the combination of the animal and the environment - as well as the energy of ancient ways - is particularly intriguing. We have a Service dog who also works as a Therapy dog and have seen the positive energy he brings to those with all types of problems. As far as those with emotional problems - whether from chemistry or from neurological issues - perhaps we need to stop insisting that they function strictly in our world and allow them to find a path that encourages them to flourish, yet find the ability to put a foot into our world from time to time for survival. Thanks again for sharing the journey. We live in New York City and would be happy to offer our time with Renegade -- a 115lb Alaskan Malamute --as a Therapy Dog. We've observed that Renegade, especially around children with disabilities, he evidences the same "obeisance" that horses do, laying on the g
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