Singer Elio of the Elio e le Storie Tese group tells the difficult story of his son’s illness during one of their charity concerts. Here’s what he said.
The musical group Elio and the Tense Stories he performed, just over a month ago, on the occasion of the “Concert of the end of bad luck” in Bergamo. This is a charity event to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war in their country. The famous Italian band came together for a good cause and entertained its audience with its most irreverent and ironic songs.
Their performance wasn’t all laughter though. Indeed, there was a moment of great emotion due to the story and the appeal made by the leader of the group, Elio. A request, his, which starts from a very delicate intimate situation but extends to all those people who face his own problem.
Elio proved to be very courageous in admitting the presence of a serious disease among the members of his family. In fact, her twelve-year-old son Dante suffers from autism, an extremely complicated health condition to cope with.
In front of ten thousand person Elio, through the figure of Dante, he wanted to raise awareness as many people as possible with the aim of giving a voice to those affected by this complex disease.
Before Dante’s intervention on the Bergamo stage, Elio had released an intimate interview about his son’s condition and the problems he and others with autism face. On that occasion he had highlighted how in Italy the treatment reserved for autistics was inadequate and not at all democratic.
The Italian health system does not include the majority of families in its care and is not sufficiently updated on the different characteristics of the disease.
However, Dante he wanted to send a message of positivity when his father declared during the concert “I’m autistic and I’m proud of it – Enjoy the show, but please respect autistic people.”
Elio’s words
At the Corriere della Sera Elio, some time ago, gave a very hard interview but that perfectly explains the tiring moments that autistics and their families face. What catches the eye is that these families are often left alone in difficulties mainly due to bad information.
In fact, what in Italy, the main lack of adequate health, emotional and social preparation is useful for supporting and guiding autistic people in certain recovery paths. It is therefore important that there is one timely diagnosis in such a way that we can act promptly on the subjects. Here are the words of Elio:
“They told us that we had to wait for 3 years. But already at one year, the signs of autism can be many. The problem is that there are few specialized figures able to intercept them, to intervene as soon as possible. Even now that Dante is 12, we have to guide the support teachers from home ”.
The family often takes on issues that should belong to the health sphere without receiving appropriate care. And the only real victim of these delays is the person with autism, who will have less and less chance to improve. Elio continues:
“There is a behavioral therapy that helps autistic boys and girls to be included and build the weapons to live an autonomous and independent life. But there are no skills in schools ”. We are in the year zero, or rather below zero ”.
For autistic boys and girls, therefore, going to school, playing sports and experiencing relationships with each other must be a priority in modern society. The phrases of Elio however, they do not represent a criticism but rather a sort of warning to try to change the situation and welcome more and more families into a system that can work well for everyone. Elio adds this deeply honest reflection:
“I also think we are leaving behind potential men and women who may be paying taxes tomorrow rather than being a cost. We must pay attention to what is around us; be attentive to others; love each other “.