We do not give up in the face of defeats, rather we treasure them and in this we find the enthusiasm and strength to improve and continue the work, from here begins the journey within the collaboration between Olimpia Milano and Fabula Onlus, in as part of the One Team project, a journey within this world that is so particular but so full of emotions, starting with the identification and explanation of the work group. “Our champions” are children and youngsters affected by Autism Spectrum Syndrome, to then get to the emotions that these boys have transmitted to us instructors of Olimpia Milano during the project.

Today in Italy autism is in danger of becoming a national emergency, cases are increasing. In Italy the unofficial estimates speak of one child for every 150, for a total of over 500,000 people including children, teenagers and adults, with as many families in serious difficulty due to the lack of an adequate response at all levels.

The Fabula ONLUS Social Cooperative was born in 2008 from the long experience of professional educators, teachers, CONI sports educators, pedagogists, psychologists. Fabula deals with education, autism and physical and mental disabilities. The services are designed to act in all contexts in which the person lives with autism, from clinical aspects to school and home, from holidays to leisure.

This year, the Fabula Onlus Social Cooperative, making use of the collaboration of the children’s neuropsychiatry department of the San Paolo hospital in Milan, of the “Domino” multi-specialist outpatient clinic, resp. scientific Prof. Luigi Croce and Olimpia Milan organized a basketball course aimed at children with autistic syndrome.

For each participant, a sporting path has been developed which is part of the wider life project that distinguishes it, highlighting its functional characteristics and attitudes. The soul of the project is the union between the “technical / sporting” part and the psycho-pedagogical intervention focused on structured education and visual strategies.

The course was aimed at children aged 6 to 10 (Minipallafabulosa) and 11 to 18 (Pallafabulosa).

Autistic people present difficulties in communication and understanding, thus developing limited social relationships that are expressed in bizarre and little socially integrated ways. Often the person with Autism is also affected by mental retardation and other pathologies, needs a global take charge, which aims to ensure the best possible quality of life. And it is to these specific and unique needs and characteristics that Fabula, through its “sports activities”, wants to provide an answer, support and growth.

What we Olimpia Milano instructors tried to do in the context of the One Team project was to test themselves, trying to understand and appreciate a “new”, different world. Our role is that coaches and sports educators, relating to the world of autism has enriched us with stories and experiences. The second One Team project put all of us in front of new and in some ways stimulating realities in the construction of new interpersonal relationships, breaking down within us the walls against situations that seemed to us could bring discomfort. When we analyzed the hypotheses relating to this second project, we only thought about what the positive experience of this new experience of living with the new kids we would have met. The first session was done as if to tiptoe into an already formed, organized and addressed class. Our desire was aimed at trying to leave something to them, even just by joining them and in an attempt to get in touch with them and their world. The aim was to convince the boys to show what they can do beautifully, each in their own way. We objectively clashed with a difficult reality: in that gym, however, that hour spent in activities with these guys turned everything into a moment of true joy, joy, happiness and tranquility. The environment was as if it were all in an organized vortex; in fact, the reference figures are absolutely fundamental, such as their instructor Emiliano, who has followed them and known them for years and has completed a great job with them, of mutual knowledge and trust, organizing them according to a precise routine that the kids over time they learned to respect and follow, depending on their skills. During training there are many support figures, to guarantee help and support to every boy. Their smile is the one that most impressed us: some guys face the situation in their own way, some are in love with the madness of that ball that gives beautiful and particular moments, some run quickly around the field without ever getting tired, some are more shy and fearfully face a dribble or a pass. We realized, as coaches, that it does not matter how technically good you are as a coach but it counts how much you manage to empathize with them in an attempt to gain their trust .

The expectations were far exceeded, moments so filled our hearts, we left the training with a big smile on the lips, perhaps with a feeling of helplessness in front of everything that we do not understand about their problems or not have done enough. Their small weekly meeting is their moment, where they can be at the center of the situation and not on the margins, where they can try to express themselves in an environment created for them. The routine designed for them was created by creating drawings on a life-size agenda that visually report the exercises so that these kids can memorize them in their own way and make them realize that they have tried them many times in a row, even if for them it is as if it were always the first time, as if it were a rediscovery of every moment. A beginning and an end of exercises repeated constantly. In this moment of medical difficulty for the whole country, what for them was a moment of leisure and in any case also fundamental for them on a physical level, or the weekly hour of activity with the basketball, unfortunately has become impossible to carry out. But they did not give up and still found a solution to try to always be together and present.

Marilisa Zanini and Michele Samaden are the coaches for Olimpia Milano in this project.