How One Man Overcame His Autism

99 snips

Sep 30, 2025

Leland Vittert, a prominent television correspondent and author of the memoir Born Lucky, shares his inspirational journey with autism. He recounts how he transitioned from a silent, isolated child to a charismatic journalist through relentless training. The conversation touches on the rising rates of autism diagnoses and the importance of open discussions around its causes. Leland highlights the pivotal role of his father's tough-love approach in shaping his character and ambition, all while navigating the complexities of media and personal identity.

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ANECDOTE

From Nonverbal Child To TV Correspondent

Leland Vittert recounts that he didn’t speak until age three, was born severely cross-eyed, and endured brutal middle and high school years.
His father devoted relentless training and became his primary coach to teach social skills and discipline.

INSIGHT

Diagnosis Rates Demand Honest Inquiry

Autism diagnoses rose dramatically from about 1 in 1,000 in the 1980s to roughly 1 in 31 today.
Leland argues this surge deserves serious scientific inquiry rather than politicized dismissal.

ADVICE

Train Social Skills Through Repetition

Use structured, repeated practice to teach social skills: set signals, debrief interactions, and reward progress with clear goals.
Leland’s father modeled and coached social scenarios repeatedly until they became habits.

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Leland Vittert is one of America’s most recognizable television correspondents. You’ll know his face from years of frontline reporting in places like Egypt, Libya, Israel, and Ukraine.

You may have followed his tumultuous exit from Fox News in 2021, after clashing with the network over its coverage of Donald Trump—and then his redemption arc, becoming the host of On Balance and the chief Washington anchor at NewsNation.

But what you might not know is that Leland is autistic. He just wrote a book about it, called Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, a Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism. In it, Leland explains that he didn’t talk until age 3, was born severely cross-eyed, and struggled with basic concepts like eye contact, humor, conversation cues, and social rules. Middle school and high school were nothing short of hell.

So how did the kid we just described go from, as he says, “socially lost” to one of America’s most recognizable and charismatic voices? Training. Relentless, nonstop work. His father knew the world wouldn’t change for Leland—Leland would have to change for the world.

It is a moving memoir about how Leland—and most notably, his father—worked to “beat” his autism. You’ll have to read it to understand how.

Leland was diagnosed about 40 years ago. Since then, conversation has shifted dramatically—and so have rates of diagnoses. In the 1980s, about one in 1,000 American children were diagnosed with autism. Today, it’s one in 31. The questions of what causes autism and how we treat it have become so politicized that the conversation has left people either resentful, anxious, confused, or scared. And most critically, still without answers.

Born Lucky is landing at an especially interesting moment given that the Trump administration has put the topic of autism at center stage. Just last week, Trump held a press conference where he alleged that there was a link between the active ingredient in Tylenol and autism, and told mothers not to take the pain reliever and fever reducer and instead “tough it out.”

That’s among the many things Leland and I talk about in this fascinating conversation.

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