The Real Story Behind Autism Patient ‘Donald T.’
John Donvan and Caren Zucker have written a beautiful article for The Atlantic, entitled, “Autism’s First Child”, accompanied by a video packet that ran on Good Morning America and followed by a lengthy interview on NPR, about the first patient ever diagnosed with autism, Donald Triplett. These reporters share how they searched and found this man who had been lost to history, and share with the world what a successful life he turned out to have.
Donald was raised in a small town, by parents who stuck by him despite the recommendation of professionals to institutionalize him, and alongside neighbors who loved, accepted and supported him. He went to college, joined a fraternity, worked at a bank, drives a car and plays golf. It is a story that, as a mother of an eight-year-old boy with autism, gives me hope.
But the problem is that it wasn’t the whole story, or the most newsworthy part of the story.
Read more here: The Real Story Behind Autism Patient ‘Donald T.’ – Big Journalism.
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About The Author
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts is founder of Support for Special Needs and has been a regular contributor since its inception in May 2010. A mom to two kids with special needs, she didn't want other parents to feel what is the often isolating world of raising a child (or two!) with disabilities. Her kids had kidney transplants at the age of eight and will need liver transplants in the future as a result of ARPKD/CHF. They both have vision disorders and learning disabilities.