“In A Different Key” follows the journey of journalist and mom Caren Zucker on her search for the first-ever child diagnosed with autism, Donald Triplett. The film, which is based on the Pulitzer Prize finalist book “In a Different Key: The Story of Autism,” traces the growing friendship between the Mississippi-based Triplet and Zucker, who has an autistic son, as she grapples with the future for her child once she is gone.
Zucker’s research explores the lives of those diagnosed with autism and how other factors, such as race, money and privilege impact their lives. Despite a great deal of cruelty, Zucker also makes a reassuring discovery – that with more education and awareness, communities are becoming more open and supportive of people on the spectrum.
Donald Triplett has lived in Forest, Mississippi for his whole life. In the film, Sid Salter, former publisher of the Scott County Times, said that the other residents of Forest noticed Triplett had “some odd behaviors and eccentricities, but he’s our guy.” The community has embraced him for his whole life, even before autism was recognized as a diagnosis.
Triplett was diagnosed with the first case of Autism Spectrum Disorder in 1943. Before he was even five years old, he spent time in an institution and worked with one of history’s most important child psychiatrists. Identified as “Case 1,” Triplett’s diagnosis marked the beginning of decades of research and discoveries about ASD.
“In a Different Key” premieres at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 13 on Panhandle PBS.
