Wednesday, June 21, 2023, 3:49 p.m.
On June 15, Donald Gray Triplett, the first person to be diagnosed with autism, died at the age of 89 at his home in Forest, Mississippi. Since he was a child, Triplett was already a very special person. According to The Washington Post newspaper, when he was just a child he did not show any interest in striking up a conversation with anyone else.
Donald Gray Triplett was the first diagnosed case of autism, a problem that for many years was considered a childhood disorder. ASD diagnoses (autism spectrum disorders) have skyrocketed in recent years and there is already one case for every 100 births, according to data from Autism Spain. As reported by LA VERDAD for the world day for the dissemination and awareness of ASD, this figure represents some 15,000 in the Region of Murcia, a figure that has not stopped growing in recent years.
The president of the Autism Federation of the Region of Murcia (FAMU) explains that this increase in diagnoses is due to the fact that “more is known, it is known better and it is diagnosed earlier.” Despite research and increased social and educational awareness, people with this disorder continue to suffer in their adjustment. In Triplett’s case, both his family and her community stepped up and supported him throughout her life.
“Case 1”
The son of a lawyer and a school teacher, Donald Triplett was a very introverted boy who was not interested in playing with other children or in the man dressed as Santa Claus who visited him to surprise him. According to the article, he was obsessed with spinning objects and had an unusual way of speaking, as he substituted “you” for “me” and repeated words without apparent meaning such as “business” and chrysanthemum “. He was able to easily perform mental calculations and name notes as they were played on the piano.
This child who did not want to play and knew how to calculate without problems, went down in history for being the first diagnosed case of autism. Donald Triplett entered the history of medicine as “Case 1”, the first person formally diagnosed with autism. His parents took him to see Leo Kanner, a professor at Johns Hopkins University. This psychiatrist kept Donald under observation for two weeks and then kept in touch with the family. Thanks to this study, Kanner began to identify other children with similar symptoms.
The first scientific article that addressed this problem was the diagnosis that cited Donald as “Case 1” among 11 children, whose cases were also studied and helped to clarify the idea that they were facing “a type of disorder that is not known.” it had spoken before in the books of doctors». It was first called “infantile autism.” Later it was named as autism.
While other children were admitted to state schools and hospitals, Triplett gained acceptance while remaining a part of his community. He graduated from University and got a job at the Bank of Forest. According to The Washington Post, he managed to have a full life, played golf, sang in a choir and traveled the world.
“Donald was given the opportunity to pursue his passions and interests and was able to build a very happy life,” said Christopher Banks, president and CEO of the Autism Society, an education and advocacy organization for this group. “He was known in his community, he was accepted in his community and he was celebrated in his community. All of this demonstrates the importance of building an inclusive society.”
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Don, as he was known to his colleagues at Bank of Forest, died at his home in Forest, Mississippi, where he lived his entire life. Triplett leaves behind a large community of friends. He had given many of them nicknames and even numbers, following a sort of personal inventory system.
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