The Horse Boy

Rupert Isaacson and Kristin Neff's son Rowan was diagnosed with autism at the age of four. He would lapse into tantrums and become unreachable numerous times each day. Then Rupert discovered that riding horses calmed Rowan, and this observation led him to formulate an adventurous plan. As a traveling investigative journalist, Rupert had repeatedly witnessed the work of shamans, who can bring about miraculous healings. He realized that the combination of horses and shamanism might be able to help their son, and that the country offering the best mix of these is Mongolia. is the moving story of the journey Rupert, Kristin, and Rowan undertook to Mongolia; a hazardous undertaking that initially seemed destined for disaster. After all, taking an autistic child out of his familiar surroundings is asking for trouble. Once there, however, they met Shaman Ghoste. In voice-over, Rupert analyzes the process that then unfolded -- a process in which not only Rowan, but he and Kristin also became entangled. In the film, Rupert's developing insight is supported by contributions from a number of experts, who explain the other side of the autism coin. Why should we see autism as a neurological flaw, when in fact autistic people have played a great -- often trailblazing -- role in the development of mankind?