Donald Triplett

Donald Triplett was born to Beamon and Mary Triplett. Initially, Donald was a deeply introverted child who did not respond to his parents' gestures or voices. His language was unusual, he did not play with other children, and he seemed distant from others. Triplett was institutionalized at three years of age, but his parents pulled him out one year later. His father, Beamon, described him as socially withdrawn but interested in number patterns, music notes, letters of the alphabet, and U.S. president pictures. By the age of 2, he had the ability to recite the 23rd Psalm in the Old Testament and memorized 25 questions and answers from some unspecified Presbyterian catechism (likely either the Westminster Larger or Shorter Catechism). He was also interested in creating musical chords.[4]

When the Tripletts went to Baltimore, Maryland to meet with Leo Kanner and was eventually diagnosed him with autism.[5]

The diagnosis of Donald Triplett would lead to the complex history of autism, which involved many conflicts among autism personnel and advocates.

From there, the history of autism would unfold across decades, playing out in many and varied dramatic episodes, bizarre twists, and star turns, both heroic and villainous, by researchers, educators, activists and autistic people themselves.

— John Donvan and Caren Zucker, BBC Magazine[4]

However, Donald Triplett and his family were distant from all this. He was enrolled in the local high school, where his teachers and classmates were accepting, and in 1958 he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in French from Millsaps College. Later, he returned to his supportive hometown where he worked at the bank that was owned by his family. He learned to drive and traveled around the world in his spare time.[2]

Triplett was tracked down by John Donvan and Caren Zucker so they could find out his life's story for an article "Autism's First Child" in The Atlantic. He was later featured in the book In a Different Key.[3][6]