The Horse Boy Touches Your Heart

PBS will be airing “Horse Boy” on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 10:00PM. (Check your local listing for the exact time in your time zone). This is a documentary following a family with an autistic son. I was sent an advance copy to review. Rupert Isaacson and Kristin Neff talk frankly about their son Rowan and about their feelings, hopes, dreams, disappointments and guilt. They have tried traditional and non-traditional treatments for their son, in hopes of finding a cure for him.

This documentary follows them to Mongolia, in order to combine non-tradional healing (shaman healing) and horses. Rupert is a former horse trainer, and had kept his son away from horses, for fear of him getting hurt. One day, Rowan had gotten away and wandered into the neighbors yard. There, he came face to face with the neighbor’s old mare, Betsy. The two formed a connection. Upon seeing this, Rupert was amazed at how his son changed when around this old mare.

I enjoyed watching this documentary. Both parents expressed concerns and observations about their son, and I found that I was able to relate to a lot of what they were thinking and feeling. I had one problem with the movie, and that was the description of autism by Roy Richard Grinker, Ph.D. In his description of autism, he said that individuals with autism range from the, “Severely mentally retarded who is completely nonverbal, to somebody who is a socially awkward mathematics of physics professor.” My son is nonverbal, and he is extremely intelligent. I hope that people that watch this movie will not assume that all nonverbal, autistic children are mentally challenged.

The progress that Rowan made during and after the trip to Mongolia was amazing. I don’t think it was the Shaman’s that caused the changes that occurred. I have noticed that my son makes leaps in his developmental progress after we take trips with just the three of us (when our daughter is with my parents). I think it is because he gets both my husband and myself working with him 24/7. He has our full, undivided attention. Last year, after a weekend at the beach he went from not being potty trained, to 75% potty trained. Within the next week, he became fully potty trained. That’s huge.

I did enjoy watching this family. I think a long trip in Mongolia is a bit extreme, but the idea of getting away for a long period is great. If my family could do that, we would. Instead, we settle for camping trips on the weekend. My son loves them and he gets to learn new things and, most of all, mommy and daddy are focused on him and his sister. The television, computer and household chores are not taking our attention.

I highly recommend watching this documentary. It is an open and honest representation of raising an autistic child. I felt a connection with this family, as I was watching. I think it will help some people understand what we are going through.

This Emotional Life on PBS

PBS is coming out with a special that focuses on relationships. It is THIS EMOTIONAL LIFE, a three part series, airing January 4-6, 2010. This series examines how relationships play an important part in our lives. The interesting thing about this series, for me, is that it includes the story of a 29 year old man with Aspergers. His story touched me.

Sam Fabens with VOXGLOBAL emailed me about this series. In the email, he included a Q & A from Dyllan McGee about it. Here it is:

Here’s a Q&A from Dyllan McGee, executive producer from Kunhardt McGee Productions and one of the show’s executive producers, about why the series is important, what’s in it, and how it can help people live more fulfilling lives. Here’s the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMshm6UpYVE

Q: Why did you think it was important to produce a series like this now?

A: This is the first time a TV experience has really probed deeply into the entire life cycle and range of complex emotional issues that impact all people. Research now shows us that the real key to happiness and resilience doesn’t lie in what we own or buy, but it is made up of so many social attachments and our perspectives on scenarios, among other things. That’s incredibly powerful information to know and to share with others – particularly during a time like this when so many people are really suffering from a lot of stress and anxiety due to the economy.

Q: Why did you want to include a story about someone who has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome?

A: So much of our series is focused on the idea that happiness and emotional satisfaction are linked with the quality of our attachments and connections with other people. We wanted to showcase stories about interesting people – like Jason, who has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome – who experience challenges in making these kinds of connections. We wanted to explore and highlight the kind of social and family support that’s so important to people like Jason in our society. He shared some important things about his life and experiences – like his difficulty reading people’s emotions, and how that impacts his relationships. The whole point is to raise awareness and start conversations – and we’re grateful to Jason and his family for sharing their story.

Q: Do you think the show can help people?

A: Absolutely – our main goal in producing this project was to help people. We included a great cross-section of the latest science, interesting insight from well-known entertainers and writers, and a lot of inspiring and thought-provoking stories from real people in extraordinary situations.

I’ll be watching this and I hope you will too.