Raising Cubby

John Robison was not your typical dad. Diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at age forty, he approached fatherhood with joy, playing with his son Cubby in his own way---playing practical jokes and teaching him to drive the family's antique Rolls Royce. John thought Cubby was turning out pretty well until school authorities told him Cubby was dumb and stubborn and John wondered if Cubby had Asperger's too. By the time Cubby was seventeen he had become a brilliant and curious chemist---smart enough to make military-grade explosives and bring Federal agents calling. Cubby was facing a felony trial and up to sixty years in prison. Both father and son were forced to take stock in their lives, finally accepting that being "on the spectrum" is both a challenge and a unique gift.