“Mom, it’s terrible”: the earthquake nightmare for those with children with autism

The story of a mother with two autistic children who in recent days, in Pozzuoli, experienced the dramatic moments of the earthquake in the Campi Flegrei

NAPLES – “Earthquake, earthquake“. Luigi, a 17-year-old with a severe autism spectrum disorder, continually repeats that for two days he has been struggling with the tremors that are shaking the Campi Flegrei and all of Naples. Four were also felt this morning, at 8.28 the first of magnitude 3.6 and then decreasing until 11.28. “The day before last night I was overcome by panic and anxiety”, says his mother Daniela, while “my son was disoriented and agitated, but he understood what was happening”. agitation that has been going on for some time: “We are experiencing an accentuated seismic swarm, but we have been feeling these tremors for months. So every now and then Luigi says to me ‘earthquake, earthquake’, because this word has stuck in his head , which he repeats even when there are no shocks.” Luigi experienced the house moving, the fear of his mother and his sister, many sensations that continue to agitate him. The ten boys with mental disorders are also experiencing this same restlessness autistic spectrum of the association ‘Simply us – autism together’.

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“I am a mother of two boys with autism, one is verbal, the other is not, but I can describe how they are. Giacomo told me ‘mum I’m very scared, I heard movement and it was terrible’. Now, since the strong tremors of two days ago, including those this morning, every time he feels something he says ‘earthquake‘ and ‘mum it’s terrible’”, says Anna, who is also president of the Association. Francesco is the non-verbal twin and his anxiety is expressed through a “constant restless movement around the house, he is unable to stay calm. I stayed in touch with the other mothers to help each other – continues Anna – and I talk to them on the phone because none of us leaves the house. Our children experience strong agitation, especially the non-verbal ones. Even this morning, during and after the tremors I tried to reassure the kids by saying that nothing was happening. I also had to explain that in case of danger we have our suitcases ready next to the doors. They are not happy, but neither are we parents. The situation is complex – Anna confides – some of the children cared for by the association suffer from epilepsy”.

‘Simply us – autism together’ works with children on the autistic spectrum aged 15 to 25 in the Campi Flegrei area. “For them it is a particularly complicated moment, because their parents are afraid to let them leave the house and in this way they also have difficulty going to work. Meanwhile, the institutions have closed the schools and in some areas, like in Bagnoli this morning, evacuation drills are taking place”.
The other night, Anna continues, “between Bacoli and Pozzuoli there were many people in a panic. They were bad times, they attacked the petrol stations. We preferred to be outdoors, we didn’t go to crowded places because it wouldn’t have been easy for our kids. The difference from their routine scares them”.
Anna communicates with her children and with other children with autism through augmentative communication and “many use the communicator. We explained as much as possible what was happening and they were involved, but they are not ready for an emergency evacuation – confirms the mother – they still have to be guided a lot and if we are not clear with communication it will be difficult to manage emergencies. We must give him very specific signals, explaining the noises and the action to be taken in case of dangerous sounds”.

Now that all activities are blocked, Anna tries to use their time in a constructive way: “We put things in order, we tidy up the house, but for those with an autistic disorder it is difficult not to be able to carry out sporting activities or follow all his habits. I notice that they fall more into obsessions, they walk back and forth, because they need to manage time, and then they continue to ask themselves why all this is happening.”

The story continues: “I equipped myself with a calendar, I gave it a time explaining that something unexpected happened this week and in these two days we won’t be able to see the group of friends but we can call them, even if we won’t do the activities every day Giacomo and Francesco miss their friends, they are a nice group and they do many outdoor activities together. On Saturday for example – informs their mother – together with the Italian Naval League, Pozzuoli section, they will participate in the 11th meeting of canoeists. it goes from Naples to Cape Miseno, if everything goes smoothly. Our boys will guide the canoeists along the coasts during the journey and will explain what the canoeists will observe along the coast and under the seabed. They will tell them what our caldera is”.

When life can return to normal these young people will also be able to return to their activities. The new ‘Alda Merini’ structure, inaugurated last month, is working for them. “We are the first apartment group born in the Phlegraean area, a structure accredited with the territorial area of Pozzuoli, Bacoli and Monte di Procida. It is an apartment group for people with mental disabilities managed by Proodos in a confiscated property in the Municipality of Bacoli, and is granted for use by Proodos for carrying out activities aimed at people with pervasive developmental disorders”, specifies the coordinator Rosanna Dottorini. The apartment group has six beds, but the structure also carries out activities for the consolidation of personal, domestic, work and free time autonomy. “20 free open days for families are scheduled until July, then we will also promote night-time experiments. We work in synergy with social services, with the local health authority and schools. We host children from 18 years of age onwards, since there is little for this age group”, he concludes.