History has not Been Kind to Iowa's Disabled

A fascinating timeline of the history of care for the developmentally disabled in Iowa. It's amazing to see how much things have changed for the better.


Building boom of mental institutions in 1800s
1861: The first patient was admitted to the Iowa Lunatic Asylum in Mount Pleasant.

1867: The Iowa Legislature established the Asylum for Feeble Minded Children in Glenwood. It eventually became the home for thousands of children and adults with developmental disabilities.

1873: A portion of the Iowa Hospital for the Insane in Independence is opened, though it took 10 years for construction of the entire institution to be completed.

1885: The state’s third mental hospital was built in Clarinda to relieve crowding at the first two facilities. It housed only men.

Autism's First Child

An older piece, but recently came up on The Atlantic's list of "Fantastic Pieces of Journalism." A fascinating story, definitely deserving of the ranking!

FOREST, Miss.- As new cases of autism have exploded in recent years--some form of the condition affects about one in 110 children today--efforts have multiplied to understand and accommodate the condition in childhood. But children with autism will become adults with autism, some 500,000 of them in this decade alone. What then? Meet Donald Gray Triplett, 77, of Forest, Mississippi. He was the first person ever diagnosed with autism. And his long, happy, surprising life may hold some answers.