Letter: Nick Hornby

Sir: Sanjida O'Connell ("Why men become anoraks", 13 November) may have found it amusing to relate my son's autism to the books I write; I'm afraid I found it offensive, grotesquely insensitive and contemptible. My son cannot speak, still wears nappies, comprehends little of the world around him and faces a very difficult life, so perhaps I can be forgiven for a sense of humour failure when it comes to cheap observations about his disability.

Nobody understands what causes autism yet, and pathetically crude and reductive pieces like O'Connell's hardly serve to increase understanding.

NICK HORNBY

London N4