utism isn’t a catastrophe, it’s a personality type'

You’re told ‘I regret to tell you your child has autism. It’s incurable and for life, and there is nothing we can do for it.’ It would be more helpful if they said, ‘Congratulations! Your son has a certain genius gene’

Rupert Isaacson is on stage at the West Cork Literary Festival. He’s talking about his son, Rowan, who has a severe form of autism. He’s explaining how Rowan has improved beyond recognition since his healing journeys and contact with horses.

Then the door flies open, and the 12-year-old appears, jumping on to the stage, where he reads a section from The Long Ride Home, his father’s account of the journey from despair to great hope. Unfazed, he reads with expression, and confidence, and later, helps his father to sign books for the audience.