SPAZIO NAUTILUS APS
RUNVOLUTION: The Run That Changes the Rules
Spazio Nautilus APS was founded on February 28, 2009, thanks to the initiative of a group of parents who decided to join forces and share their experiences in order to create recreational activities and connect with professionals who could support their children on the path ahead. At the time, the Italian landscape offered few opportunities truly adapted to the needs of individuals on the autism spectrum, and it was extremely difficult to find specialists capable of providing thorough and professional assessment and care tailored to the needs of autistic individuals.
Over the years, Spazio Nautilus has become a point of reference for families of autistic individuals. It now represents, in Lombardy, the Gruppo Asperger ONLUS (www.asperger.it), with which it shares goals and guiding principles.
The association is non-profit, pursuing civic, solidarity-based, and socially beneficial purposes, and it offers its services to individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Level I – formerly Asperger’s Syndrome) and their families.
Spazio Nautilus has always been committed to promoting the inclusion of autistic individuals in society, ensuring their full enjoyment of civil rights. In this context, a new proposal has emerged: to create a welcoming space for young adults focused on developing independent living skills through temporary residential experiences. The idea of temporary residential autonomy represents a new frontier. While the association has long worked to offer listening, support through recreational and social activities, diagnostic support services, and has carried out countless awareness-raising campaigns in civil society—even becoming a point of contact for companies interested in hiring autistic individuals—this next step is essential. The ultimate goal is to give autistic people the opportunity to gradually move beyond their original family environment and to exercise their legitimate right to live a truly independent life, achieving full emancipation from their families.
