27 Facts About Donald Triplett

Donald Gray Triplett was an American banker known for being the first person diagnosed with autism.

Donald Triplett was first diagnosed by Leo Kanner in 1943 and was labeled as "Case 1".

Donald Triplett was born on September 8,1933, to Beamon and Mary Triplett in Forest, Mississippi.

Donald Triplett's language was unusual, he did not play with other children, and he seemed distant from others.

Donald Triplett was institutionalized at three years of age, but his parents pulled him out one year later.

Donald Triplett's father described him as socially withdrawn but interested in number patterns, music notes, letters of the alphabet, and pictures of US presidents.

Donald Triplett's parents had great difficulty in getting him to eat, and watching other children eating candy or ice cream did not seem to tempt him.

Donald Triplett was very interested in rhymes and would answer questions with only one word, usually "yes" or "no".

Donald Triplett was initially uninterested in slides but began to play on them when he was alone.

Donald Triplett had many meltdowns and was afraid of being spanked.

Donald Triplett was unable to associate his meltdowns with the punishment.

Donald Triplett displayed echolalia and had trouble with remembering pronouns, often using "you" to refer to himself and "I" to refer to the person he was speaking to.

Donald Triplett's mother had difficulty getting him to look at her.

Donald Triplett had multiple visits, but when he returned, he did not even look at the three physicians present, even though two remembered him from the previous visit.

Donald Triplett instead headed to the desk to handle papers and books.

Donald Triplett showed better concentration and responded more clearly to his environment and other people.

Donald Triplett learned fifteen words from an encyclopedia and repeated them over and over without context.

Donald Triplett continued not to look at people when talking or use expressive gestures.

Donald Triplett's interest dissipated once he was given or told what he needed.

Donald Triplett became interested in categorizing film and Time magazine issues by date of publication despite having little interest in the actual contents.

The diagnosis of Donald Triplett led to the complex history of autism, which involved many conflicts among autism specialists and advocates.

Donald Triplett was enrolled in the local high school, where his teachers and classmates were accepting.

Donald Triplett learned how to drive in his late 20s and traveled abroad in his spare time.

Donald Triplett lived alone in the large house that he grew up in and inherited.

John Donvan and Caren Zucker interviewed Donald Triplett, chronicling his life story for an article "Autism's First Child" in The Atlantic.

Donald Triplett was later featured in the book In a Different Key, which was later adapted into a documentary for PBS.

Donald Triplett died of cancer at home on June 15,2023, at the age of 89.