Darold A. Treffert (March 12, 1933 – December 14, 2020) was an American psychiatrist and research director who specialized in the

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and Risk factor (epidemiology), determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent dise ...

autism spectrum Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

disorders and

savant syndrome Savant syndrome ( , ) is a phenomenon where someone demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one domain, such as art or mathematics, despite significant social or intellectual impairment. Those with the condition generally have a neurodevel ...

. He lived in

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Fond du Lac () is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the southern end of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 44,678 at the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Fond du Lac met ...

. He was on the staff at Agnesian HealthCare and served on the Board of Trustees of Marian University. Treffert was a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin Medical School. He was also a clinical professor at

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a Public university, public Urban university, urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropo ...

Education

Treffert first attended

Bethany Lutheran College Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) is a Private college, private Christian Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1927, BLC is operated by the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. ...

where he focused on pre-medical courses and earned an associate in arts degree in 1953. He received his medical doctorate in 1958 from the University of Wisconsin Medical School. He interned in Eugene,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, and then completed a residency in psychiatry at University Hospitals (now University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics) in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

.About
Darold Treffert.com, Retrieved 11 October 2012.

Career

In 1962, he developed the child-adolescent unit at Winnebago Mental Health Institute and in 1964 was named superintendent. It was there he met his first savants, sparking an unquenchable curiosity that would last over 50 years. In 1979, he began dividing his time between the private practice of Psychiatry and a position as executive director of the Fond du Lac County Health Care Center. He was also medical director of the Alcoholism Rehabilitation Unit of St. Agnes Hospital. In 1991, he retired from those positions but continued to write, conduct research, and offer guidance and encouragement to families around the globe. From 1979 to 1980, Treffert was president of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin and from 1981 to 1987 was chair of its board of directors. He has also been the president of the Wisconsin Psychiatric Association and the American Association of Psychiatric Administrators. In 1995, he was appointed to the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board and, in January 2002, was elected its chair. Treffert maintained a website on autism, savant syndrome, and related conditions hosted by the Wisconsin Medical Society. He held a research director position at the Treffert Center, Agnesian HealthCare in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Treffert died unexpectedly at his home in Fond du Lac on December 14, 2020.

Appearances

Treffert has made appearances on ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...

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CBS Evening News The ''CBS Evening News'' is the flagship evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program of CBS News, the news division of the CBS television network in the United States. The ''CBS Evening News'' is a daily evening broadcast featu ...

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The Phil Donahue Show ''The Phil Donahue Show'' is an American talk show that was hosted by Phil Donahue. The show ran for twenty-nine seasons from November 6, 1967, to September 13, 1996, in which it broadcast 6,715 episodes. Before it was placed in syndication ...

'',

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

, ''

Larry King Live ''Larry King Live'' is an American television talk show broadcast by CNN from June 3, 1985 to December 16, 2010. Hosted by Larry King, it was the network's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly. Ma ...

'', the ''

Newshour ''Newshour'' is BBC World Service's flagship international news and current affairs radio programme, which is broadcast twice daily: weekdays at 1400, weekends at 1300 and nightly at 2100 (UK time). There is also an additional online programme ...

'', ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...

'', ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

'', and in a number of documentaries.

Publications

Treffert has written articles in ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Pri ...

'' and ''

MIND The mind is that which thinks, feels, perceives, imagines, remembers, and wills. It covers the totality of mental phenomena, including both conscious processes, through which an individual is aware of external and internal circumstances ...

''.Oops! When “Autism” Isn’t Autistic Disorder: Hyperlexia and Einstein Syndrome , MIND Guest Blog, Scientific American Blog Network
/ref> His books include: * ''Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome'', iUniverse.com, 2000. * ''Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired, and Sudden Savant''. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2010.

References

External links

Darold Treffert website

Savant Syndrome at Wisconsin Medical Society
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Treffert, Darold American psychiatrists People from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Writers from Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty Physicians from Wisconsin 2020 deaths 1933 births University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health alumni Bethany Lutheran College alumni

Education

Career

Appearances

Publications

See also

References

External links