Nearly 75 years ago, Donald Triplett of Forest, Mississippi, became the first child diagnosed with autism. Beginning with his family's odyssey, this far-ranging study tells the extraordinary story of this often misunderstood condition, and of the doctors, lawyers, and scientists struggling to secure a place in the world for those with autism. Examining the many controversies related to the diagnosis, here are answers to the question of whether there is truly an autism "epidemic," and whether vaccines played a part in it, plus a look at the appalling treatments formerly used on these children. This Pulitzer Prize finalist also profiles doctor Leo Kanner; autistic author Temple Grandin; and Hans Asperger, discoverer of the syndrome named after him.