As a child, Donald Triplett was not responsive to his parents’ requests, not interested in other children, but was capable of retaining very accurate information and figures on various subjects. years, as a carrier of the neurocognitive disorder called “autism”.
First patient diagnosed in 1943
The first case identified by medicine, the American played a key role in identifying this disability despite himself, which led him to answer numerous interviews and be the subject of a documentary and a book.
As a child, Donald Triplett did not respond to his parents’ requests, was not interested in other children, but was capable of retaining very accurate information and figures on various subjects.
Distraught, his parents had written a 22-page letter to a child psychiatrist, detailing their son’s behavior. A document that has been retained as a reference in documenting the symptoms of the disorder.
Despite his diagnosis, then considered to be severely handicapped, Donald Triplett was able to continue his studies and work for more than 60 years on the shores of the small town of Forest, Mississippi.
In 2020, one in 36 children was diagnosed with an autistic disorder in the United States, according to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the authoritative authority on public health in the United States. .
Source: BFM TV
