If you've never had a child with autism or worked with a child with autism, it might be difficult to understand what it’s like on a day-to-day basis to live with someone who has autism. There are many books about just that. Most are from the mother's perspective and give an account of the child's diagnosis, treatment and long-term prognosis. What makes  The Horse Boy unique in the field of autism literature is the way Rupert Isaacson approaches his son's autism. Instead of relying on conventional wisdom or hard science and sticking with the prescribed ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis), he instead follows his intuition in an attempt to enter his son's Rowan's world and communicate with him. This dad's spiritual approach to breaking through his son's autism takes into account his son as an individual with distinct needs and preferences.

While Isaacson does not strike me as an intensely spiritual person, he is more than willing to establish the connection with the divine as a way to help his son. Instead of needing to appear rational and logical to others, he focuses on what is right for his specific son at any given time. When Isaacson's inner voice tells him to travel to Mongolia and have his son treated by a group of shamans, he does it. When he feels it important to bathe his son in the healing waters he does it. As he follows that still small voice in his head and does what it says, Isaacson begins to see small but significant changes in his son's behavior.

Woven throughout the narrative, which is read by the author in a distinctly British accent, is the story of the son's love for animals, and more specifically, horses. Not only is he affectionate toward them (which is unusual for someone with autism) but they also seem to have an innate understanding of the boy. Many of these human-animal interactions in the book support research by Dr. Temple Grandin, author of  Thinking in Pictures, and an adult with autism who theorizes that the brains of people with autism sense the world more like animals than neurotypical humans.

The Horse Boy is an unforgettable story which will renew hope and uplift the soul of parents of children with autism.