Angelo, a train driver on the Milan Underground...

from Notiziario del GRUPPO ASPERGER ONLUS, No 2, March 2004

Angelo drives a train on the Milan underground railway.

He enjoys his job, is married with two children who are growing up normally. Angelo is an inquisitive type and pays attention to events around him. He reads newspapers, the odd book, surfs the Net.

One day he visited a hospital for a routine checkup, and noticed a strange leaflet. He looked through it while he was waiting his turn. The leaflet was about children, young people who live in this world but don’t know what to do. They don’t have friends, don’t understand what their teacher says, have bizarre habits...Yet, to look at them, you’d call them ‘normal’.

As we said, Angelo is an inquisitive type. He asked questions from those who should know. He asked his children’s pediatrician. No good, no-one knew the meaning of Asperger Syndrome. Therefore, he visited the website mentioned in the leaflet. He gathered some more information.

Angelo’s colleagues raise funds for charities from time to time and Angelo, who is neither a scientist nor a writer, talked to them about this condition, and about an association created to assist its sufferers. Then Angelo raised money, went to the post office and sent a money order to Gruppo Asperger onlus. He did not write anything, did not phone anyone, he just sent a money order. We had to seek him out to find out what happened.

This is a true story, the story of an Angel(o).

The Committee

MARK HADDON IN ITALY - The author of The curious incident of the dog in the night-time met his readers in Milan, Turin and Rome. In Milan a ‘visible’ presence of Gruppo Asperger Onlus was staged in the Libreria Feltrinelli Bookshop of Piazza Piemonte, to whom go our sincere thanks.

Mr Haddon is a 40-year old ‘lad’, friendly and courteous. His style is low-key. He stressed more than once that he is not very knowledgeable about Autism or the Asperger Syndrome, and does not have a scientific background. His book is just a novel.

This may be true. Perhaps Mark Haddon tries to avoid getting involved in futile discussions about who really is an ‘Aspie’. Perhaps he does not wish to play roles which do not suit him (unlike so many of our home-grown intellectuals?).

In our discussions, we reiterated that we believed in him, and also that his ability to identify with one of ‘our kids’ (albeit fictional) moved us deeply, and also amused us (why not?).

We told him that, although we also need scientific publications, our greatest need is that people should understand the autistic heart and mind without any prejudices or judgmental attitudes, as he has done.

All of us hope that the novel’s success will induce those who have read and loved it to ask more questions, to try to come to terms with a disability which is still mysterious and misunderstood.

We are convinced that those who attended the debates did just that.

Therefore, we say ‘grazie, signor Haddon!’

We would like to convey the writer’s greetings to all those who were unable to attend the meetings with him.