Any kid who loves a movie character will probably want to write a fan letter, and Nigel is no different. After beginning with Tigger (“Dear Tigger, jumps note, Piglet and Pooh”), Nigel progressed in one year to write, at age seven, the following letter:
DEAR PETER PARKER
MAY I HAVE THE SPIDER-MAN SUIT PLEASE
YOU CAN VISIT US IN OREGON
I MISS YOU IN NEW YORK
YOUR WEB SHOOTERS ARE COOL
WHY YOU STOP GREEN GOBLIN
LOVE NIGEL
He typed it on my computer one afternoon. I guess, not realizing that a sequel was in the works, Nigel figured that Peter Parker no longer needed the Spiderman suit now that the movie was filmed. And I guess Nigel thought that Green Goblin was pretty cool, too. Who can really know for sure what an autistic seven-year-old thinks? The number of words contained in this letter is far more than Nigel ever spoke at that age. I remember being so glad that he had found a way to express himself, even if it was only about movies. At least they motivated him to write, and to communicate.