Joel Yanofsky has spent his life with books - reading them, reviewing them, writing them.  So when his son Jonah was diagnosed with autism, Joel instinctively turned to books to help him make sense of this new chapter of his life.  The books helped a little, but what really made a difference for Joel has been writing own book on the subject.

Joel's book is called "Bad Animals: A Father's Accidental Education in Autism".  It chronicles a year in the life of Joel's family and it is his attempt to understand ten-year-old Jonah's unique relationship with the world.

Joel's conversation with Shelagh - like his book "Bad Animals" - is rich with candor, insight, brutal honesty, and compassion.  We only had time to play a portion of their conversation on The Next Chapter, but you can listen to the complete extended version here.