Without Restraint: How Skiing Saved My Son's Life

Without Restraint is a joint father-son memoir that tells the story of a father's unlikely discovery of his son's prodigious talent for skiing and how it ultimately saved his son's life. Ryan DeLenas childhood was complicated due to his eidetic memory, penchant for brutal honesty, and defiance, leading to a diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder. When public preschools were not equipped to manage him, his parents enrolled him in a private "therapeutic" school program that relied on destructive methods of behavior modification. Fortunately, when Ryan was seven years old, his father made an impulsive decision to kill a few hours at a local ski hill, and within his first lesson, Ryan was barreling down black diamond slopes. With each skiing conquest, Ryan blossomed, and Rob learned to appreciate his son's strengths and accept his quirks.

Format: Hardback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 01 May 2023
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

The thrilling extreme sporting adventure of Free Solo meets the heartfelt honesty of growing up with autism depicted in Atypical in WITHOUT RESTRAINT (98,000 words), the story of a father's unlikely discovery of his son's prodigious talent for skiing that ultimately saved his son's life.

Ryan DeLenas childhood was a complicated one. When he was a toddler, he would launch into impassioned monologues from classic books and films, was fascinated by ventilation systems, and loved climbing the walls of his house—literally. His eidetic memory, penchant for brutal honesty, and defiance led to a diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder—a subclass of the autism spectrum.

When public preschools weren't equipped to manage him, his parents, Rob and Mary Beth, enrolled him in a private "therapeutic" school program, a decision that locked Ryan into a school that relied on destructive methods of behavior modification—including painful physical restraints and extended isolation, practices that are still used in these programs to this day. Some teachers pinned him to the floor for prolonged periods of time, covered his mouth, and left him with rug burns. Ryan's noncompliance to these techniques ultimately led to the prescription of a variety of harmful antipsychotic medications encouraged by the school staff, and further, to a two-week stay in a mental hospital to evaluate whether he should reside permanently in a treatment facility.

Fortunately, when Ryan was seven years old, Rob made an impulsive decision to kill a few hours at a local ski hill. Within his first lesson, Ryan was barreling down black diamond slopes. By his twentieth day of skiing, Ryan was executing expert runs with 3,500 feet of vertical drop. Ryan's newfound obsession—and Rob's apparent death wish—led them to extreme sports, where they found a community that embraced and supported them.

Without Restraint is a powerful and inspiring story of resilience, determination, and the power of community. It is a testament to the human spirit and the incredible things that can be achieved when we believe in ourselves and our loved ones. It is a must-read for anyone who has ever faced adversity, or anyone who wants to learn more about the incredible abilities of people with autism.

Weight: 552g
Dimension: 160 x 236 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781493066926