Overcoming Autism: How Leland Vittert Became One of America’s Top News Anchors

What does it take for a child diagnosed with severe autism to defy the odds and become a prime-time news anchor? In this raw episode of The Tara Palmeri Show, NewsNation's Leland Vittert shares the heart-wrenching story from his New York Times bestselling book Born Lucky. Diagnosed young with profound challenges—behavioral issues, sensory overload, and a 70-point IQ spread—Leland reveals how his parents rejected accommodations and victimhood, instead coaching him to adapt to the world through relentless dedication, role-playing social skills, and earning self-esteem the hard way. From brutal bullying and school expulsions to turning adversity into a journalism superpower, Leland challenges the politicized autism debate, calling for real science on rising diagnoses amid sacred cows like vaccines and misinformation. It's a gut-punch reminder of parental agency, hope over despair, and why kids aren't defined by labels. How has the rise in autism diagnoses changed your view on parenting and science? Born Lucky: https://www.amazon.com/Born-Lucky-Dedicated-Grateful-Journey/dp/140025468X For more of her reporting, subscribe to her weekly newsletter, "The Red Letter." https://tarapalmeri.substack.com/ https://www.tarapalmeri.com/subscribe Latest from the Red Letter: https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/how-zohran-mamdani-and-trump-use https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/pete-hegseths-paranoia-mtgs-mutiny https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/james-carville-thinks-the-democrats To support her mission of independent journalism, consider donating to her GoFundMe account: https://gofund.me/0c46f9a5 Tara Palmeri is one of the most feared and fearless reporters covering power and politics. She has 15 years of experience covering national politics and foreign affairs. She was formerly a White House Correspondent for ABC News where she covered the first Trump administration. She was the chief National Correspondent for POLITICO during the Biden administration. She has been a political analyst for CNBC, CBS and CNN. She started her career as a columnist for the Washington Examiner and then went on to report for the New York Post. She was a foreign correspondent for POLITICO Europe, where she covered international affairs, including Brexit. She hosted the Ringer's political podcast "Somebody's Gotta Win" and wrote a column for Puck. Tara also hosted two acclaimed podcasts on Jeffrey Epstein, "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein" and "Power: The Maxwells." Tara currently hosts the Tara Palmeri Show. Follow Tara: https://www.instagram.com/tarapalmeri/ https://x.com/tarapalmeri https://www.tiktok.com/@tarapalmeri For inquiries, email: [email protected] #BornLucky #LelandVittert #AutismAwareness #NYTimesBestseller #NewsNation #AutismStory #AutismDebate #TaraPalmeri #TaraPalmeriShow He Could Barely Speak as a Child — Now He’s a National News Anchor Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to the Tara Palmeri Show 00:32 Leland's Autism Diagnosis and Born Lucky 01:41 Promoting the Book and NYT Bestseller Debut 02:39 Turning Adversity into a Superpower 04:07 Victimhood vs Agency in Diagnoses 05:09 The Psychologist's Evaluation and Challenges 07:03 Parents' No-Accommodations Approach 08:19 How the Book Came to Be with Don Yeager 10:31 Coaching for Emotional Connection in Journalism 12:38 Family Struggles with Autism Labels 13:17 Bullying and School Expulsions 16:01 The Surge in Autism Diagnoses 17:48 Debating Causes and Better Surveillance 20:12 Misinformation and Sacred Cows in Science 23:24 Stigmatization of Autism Research 25:31 Father's Dedication and signals like the Watch 27:31 Convincing Dad to Share the Story 30:17 Role-Playing Social Skills for Lunch 32:24 Hope for Parents Beyond Labels 35:36 Earning Self-Esteem the Hard Way 38:12 Afterword and Mindset for Involved Parenting 41:31 Thanks for watching the Tara Palmeri Show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices