Leland Vittert Discusses His New Book 'Born Lucky' and His Journey with Autism

Sharing a Personal Journey

• 💡 NewsNation's Leland Vittert discusses his new book, 'Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, a Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism', which shares his personal experience with autism.
• 🎯 The book aims to offer hope to parents struggling with diagnoses like autism, ADHD, or anxiety in their children.
• 🔑 Vittert emphasizes that parental love and support are crucial in helping children overcome adversity.

Navigating Autism and Expectations

• 🧠 Vittert shares that his parents kept his autism diagnosis private during his childhood, focusing instead on character and hard work as unyielding standards.
• 🛠️ His father actively taught him social skills by role-playing conversations and providing feedback, addressing the challenges Vittert faced in social interactions.
• 🧩 The book highlights the difficulty parents face in balancing expectations for their children with the realities of a diagnosis, especially for high-functioning individuals.

Autism Diagnosis Trends and Questions

• 📈 Vittert notes the significant increase in autism diagnoses, from one in a thousand when he was a child to one in 36 currently.
• 🔬 He questions the lack of conclusive scientific answers from institutions like the NIH regarding the rise in diagnoses, suggesting that certain questions were historically discouraged.
• 💬 While acknowledging potential criticisms of RFK Jr.'s messaging, Vittert believes his advocacy for finding answers for parents of autistic children should not be dismissed.
• ❓ The conversation touches on the importance of asking questions and seeking answers regarding autism, especially for future generations and potential mitigation strategies.