2023-06-23 18:35:00
Donald Triplett, known as “Donald T.” in the scientific literature, had been diagnosed by doctors in 1943, when he was 10 years old, as a carrier of the neurocognitive disorder called “autism”.
The first case identified by medicine, the American played a key role in the identification of this handicap in spite of himself, which earned him to answer numerous interviews and to be the subject of a documentary and a book.
A 22-page letter to a child psychiatrist
When he was a child, Donald Triplett did not respond to requests from his parents, was disinterested in other children, but was able to retain very precise 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 remained a reference in the documentation of the symptoms of the disorder.
He worked for more than 60 years
Despite his diagnosis, then considered to cause a serious handicap, Donald Triplett was able to continue his studies and work for more than 60 years in the bank 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 by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), the authoritative authority for public health in the United States. .
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