First person ever diagnosed with autism dies at age 89

American human calculator was first by psychiatrist when he was five examined

- Lok Jian Wen

He was a human calculator adept at arithmetic calculations and could count the number of bricks in a building at a glance. He was also the world's first person to be diagnosed with autism.

On Thursday, Mr Donald Triplett was in the news again, when he died of cancer at the age of 89.

His nephew told US media that he died peacefully at home in the small town of Forest in the southeastern state of Mississippi. "He was just a joy to be around. He'd bring a smile to your face every time you get around," said Mr Oliver Triplett, who was with his uncle at the time of his death.

The late Mr Triplett was first examined by Austrian child psychiatrist Leo Kanner in 1938 when he was five years old.

About five years later, he was referred to as "Case 1" in an article "Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact" published in a journal by Dr Kanner.

The Johns Hopkins Hospital physician identified some basic symptoms in the children, including a preoccupation with objects, an insistence on consistencies and some language deficiencies.