When walking into the Queens College Horse Boy clubroom, one can smell the peppermint in the air, and two small lamps provide light to the room. There is a rocking chair with a blanket in the corner, an exercise ball, a couch, two bungee chairs, and several plants. The atmosphere is relaxing as Sarah Salem, vice president of the QC Horse Boy Club and a junior majoring in communication science disorder, talks about why the club is set up this way. “We have sensory triggers,” she says, “ but the smell of peppermint or lavender causes us to relax. Even rocking in a rocking chair is great for relaxing, or…
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Rupert Isaacson discusses horse therapy and its effect on autism
The Committee for Disabled Students presented “Autism and Healing with Rupert Isaacson” on October 29 in Rosenthal Library. The presentation served as a means to discuss the healing effects horses have on families with autism. Rupert Isaacson, the author of “The Horse Boy,” discussed the challenges he faced when his son Rowan was diagnosed with autism at age two. Initially, the doctors introduced Rowan’s autism as catastrophic, which was soon reinforced by his susceptibility to tantrums and non-verbal communication. It was not until his relationship with his son progressed had Isaacson realized this sort of thinking is very misleading. “The [reaction of most parents to the initial diagnosis of autism]…
