The first labeled case of Autism was Donald Triplett. He was born in 1933 to Mary and Beamon. His first two years were normal. He developed normally. He sat up, crawled, walked and spoke all in the right amount of time. It was around 2 that things started to shift for Donald. We in the Autism community call this a regressive form of autism. Mary, his mother constantly having to keep an eye on Donald, took him to the doctor. At this time the only thing that could be done for Donald was an institution. Mary and Beamon reluctantly agreed to put Donald in an institution. However, they kept on researching to find a way to help Donald.
Just a year after Donald was put in an institution, he was removed. Mary and Beamon brought him to see one Dr. Kanner. Dr. Kanner is the doctor that gave Autism its definition. Beamon, a man that was rather particular himself, wrote Kanner a 33 page letter about Donald. Kanner immediately wanted to see Donald. This gave the Tripletts' hope. However, Dr. Kanner not seeing any such cases like Donald took quite some time to diagnose. Kanner first met Donald in 1938 and wrote his mother in 1942 with 8 cases that were similar. Donald was labeled case number 1. Although, Kanner himself will tell you that Autism didn't start with Donald. As we know today there is written cases back to 1450A.D..
Mary was a constant in Donald's life. Donald had to have things a certain way otherwise he would go into a rage. Mary was the maintainer of these things. When Mary knew that she would need help she was able to get respite. A couple that had a farm helped the Tripletts by keeping Donald. He would help on the farm. The Tripletts got a break. Donald really enjoyed the farm. Ernest and Josephine Lewis were childless. They enjoyed having Donald and he was helpful. It easy for Donald on the farm. A schedule needed to be followed and a rigid routine. They took into account some of Donald quirks and made it work on the farm. It was on the farm that Donald made most of his gains. He would be considered moderate after his time there. Donald developed Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. He spend quite a bit of time in the hospital. After that he went to his home to live full time. He would not return to the Lewis farm. They did remain good friends.
Donald would go to High School after he spent so many years not going to school. He was relatively successful there. He had people that watched out for him. People that did not tolerate any teasing of Donald. People were amazed by Donald's math skills. He once counted the bricks in a brick wall in a matter of moments. The others took a lot longer to figure out that he was right. He could calculate large numbers in his head in seconds. He had every license plate in town memorized. If Donald liked you, you were given a number. He would walk right up and say "You are now 1094". He would call you by your number not your name. This was Donald's way of having a relationship with someone. There was speculation as to what your number represented. It was dependent on a memory he placed on you and a number was placed. People enjoyed getting numbered, it made them feel special. In a small community Donald, very odd, was loved.
Donald was able to attend college. He was able to get better socially. He worked at a slower pace than his classmates. He graduated and went to a four year school. He was in a frat house. He was accepted there as well. The Tripletts owned the bank in town, which secured him a job. He always had a job in the bank. He was not a sufficient employee but an employee he remained. After his parents deaths he continued to work at the bank. Until he decided it was time to stop working, It was fortunate for Donald that his family was wealthy. He was considered due to his wealth, eccentric.
Donald was a happy man. It was mostly due to the fact that he was loved. His parents taught the community that he was valuable, worthy of respect. The Tripletts did not accept any indignation of Donald. They expected that Donald would be treated just like any other member of their family. However, Donald was later in life a beloved member of the community. He was a member of the Triplett family. Ultimately, in Forest, MS he was part of the towns family. Donald was the first labeled autistic case. He was the first success story as well.
*For more information about Donald as well as other early Autistic cases I recommend "In A Different Key: The Story of Autism" By: John Donvan and Caren Zucker.
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