Donald Triplett (1933–2023), first person diagnosed with autism
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2 min readDonald Triplett was the first person ever diagnosed with autism.
- Died: June 15, 2023 (Who else died on June 15?)
- Details of death: Died of complications from a fall in March at the age of 89.
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Donald Triplett’s legacy
Triplett was five years old when he was first seen by child psychiatrist Dr. Leo Kanner regarding his unusually introverted behavior. He had been institutionalized two years before, but his parents brought him home after a year. Kanner recognized in Triplett some behaviors and symptoms he had seen in other children, and Triplett was the first child officially diagnosed as autistic by Kanner. His case was included in Kanner’s landmark 1943 paper, “Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact.”
Triplett became known in his hometown of Forest, Mississippi, for his ability to perform lightning-quick mathematical calculations. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Millsaps College, where he majored in French, before returning home. He went on to work at the Bank of Forest – which had been founded by his mother’s family – for 65 years, and he enjoyed traveling the world.
Tributes to Donald Triplett
Full obituary: Ott & Lee Funeral Home, Inc. – Forest
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