How a Dedicated Dad Helped His Son Transcend A Diagnosis (with Leland Vittert)

About this episode

Leland Vittert shares his journey with Autism and the support from his father, offering hope to parents of neurodivergent children.

We’ve come a long way in understanding how neurodivergence expresses itself in kids, compared to when I became a new mom. But even now, an Autism diagnosis can feel like some of the most dreaded words imaginable to a parent. Can you fathom what it was like for parents in the 1980s? Leland Vittert can. And even though his parents chose not to share his diagnosis with him until his early 20’s, he now knows the whole story of what they went through for him. Leland is a successful journalist with his own nightly news show. But when he was a kid, Leland struggled to relate to his classmates. He was bullied by other kids, and at times, by teachers as well. After Leland was diagnosed with Autism, (now considered level 1, formerly known as Aspergers), his father made it his mission to help Leland learn the skills he’d need to function in a world that would not understand or mold to his differences. Leland tells the whole inspiring story in his new book Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, A Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism . He’s here to share his gratitude to his dad, and offer hope to parents who are anxious about how to best support their neurodivergent kids. Something clicked…

People in this episode

Host: Randi Rubenstein

Guest: Leland Vittert

Topics covered

• neurodivergence
• Autism
• parenting
• father-son relationship
• support for neurodivergent kids

Keywords

• Autism
• neurodivergent
• parenting
• support
• father
• journalist
• bullying
• diagnosis

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, A Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism

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