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MISSISSIPPI MAN WHO WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO BE DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM IN 1938, DIES AT 89

Donald G. Triplett, the first person to be diagnosed with autism, has died. The Mississippi man known as "Case 1" was the subject of a book titled "In a Different Key," a PBS documentary film, BBC news magazine installment and countless medical journal articles.

In 1943, at the age of 10, Donald Triplett was diagnosed with having a developmental disability called autism. Triplett, the eldest son of an affluent Forest, Mississippi family, displayed challenges with social interactions and an uncanny knack for memorization at an early age, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, which has an entry on him. Unsure of what to do, Triplett’ s parents committed him to a state institution in 1937 before withdrawing him a year later, the entry states.

His groundbreaking autism diagnosis had arisen from a meticulously detailed 22-page letter his father composed when Donald was just a child. The letter was full of telling observations that his mother and father, Mary and Beamon Triplett, had made of their son's aptitudes and behavior. It was received by a Johns Hopkins researcher in Baltimore with great interest. The letter remains a primary reference document for those who study autism.

They related in detail their boy's mannerisms and life history, including that Donald could "hum and sing many tunes accurately" at the age of one, and that he would sometimes have emotional breakdowns if his activities were interfered with. These traits were included in Kanner's seminal paper, published in 1943, "Autistic disturbances of affective contact." Triplett was one of the 11 children Kanner described in that paper, in which he was referred to as "Donald T." under the heading "Case 1."

At age 9, Triplett went to live 10 miles away from his childhood home on a family farm. The couple who owned the farm had no children of their own, and they directed Triplett's energies toward well-digging and counting rows of corn as he plowed. He graduated high school and earned a bachelor's degree from Millsaps College in nearby Jackson, Mississippi. He returned to his hometown, putting his extraordinary math skills to work throughout his 65year-long career at the Bank of Forest.

"Don was a remarkable individual," Bank of Forest CEO Allen Breland said. "And he kept things interesting. He was in his own world but, if you gave him two three-digit numbers, he could multiply them faster than you could get the answer on a calculator!"

A TRUE FIRST: Donald Triplett, the first person ever diagnosed with autism, had an uncanny knack for mathematics and memorization.

Triplett found companionship in a morning coffee club at City Hall. He played golf, sang in a choir and traveled the world, visiting at least three dozen countries and making it to Hawaii 17 times.

Although autistic people often have certain difficulties. many also exhibit exceptional skills, such as with mathematics. These are known as savant abilities. In addition to being a mathematician, Triplett was also an avid golfer, talented musician and dedicated church parishioner.

“I’ve known him all my life,” said his nephew OB, who was with his uncle when he died peacefully. “He was just a joy to be around. He’d bring a smile to your face every time you get around.”

Triplett died of cancer at home on June 15, 2023. He was 89. He was the longest-living person known to be autistic.