Nonverbal to News Anchor

In his new memoir, NewsNation’s Leland Vittert reflects on his autism journey and how the techniques his father taught him have helped him succeed

- JANELLE GRIFFITH

When Leland Vittert was born, his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and knotted twice. If his mother hadn’t given birth via C-section, he would have died. That prompted the doctor to nickname him Lucky—and it was the only time his parents would allow a doctor to label him.

In his new book Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, a Grateful Son, and My Journey With Autism, Vittert, 43, recounts his father’s role in helping him thrive after he began showing signs of what we now recognize as autism from a young age. Vittert didn’t speak until he was 3 and says he found eye contact “impossible” and “struggled tremendously with social cues.” But since then he’s made communicating a career: The former Fox News correspondent is an anchor at the cable network NewsNation.