Ep. 295: Born Lucky: Leland Vittert’s Journey Growing Up on the Autism Spectrum

Parenting Great Kids with Dr. Meg Meeker

Dr. Meg Meeker

Kids & Family, Education, Parenting, Self-improvement

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 October 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this powerful episode of Parenting Great Kids, Dr. Meg Meeker sits down with journalist and author Leland Vittert, who shares his compelling journey growing up on the autism spectrum. From enduring bullying to discovering his voice through writing, Leland opens up about the key role his father played in his development and how perseverance and unconditional support changed the trajectory of his life.

Leland’s memoir, Born Lucky, chronicles his experience navigating the world with neurodiversity, the impact of an autism diagnosis, and the emotional highs and lows of childhood. This episode is a message of hope for parents raising neurodiverse children, reminding us that persistence, trust, and love truly matter.

Key Themes:

The emotional and social challenges of growing up autistic
The long-term effects of bullying
Why early diagnosis and support matter
The powerful role of a present and engaged parent
Learning social skills and resilience in real life

📘 Learn more about Leland Vittert’s book Born Lucky: https://amzn.to/42Ae4X8

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	On today's episode of Parenting Great Kids.
0:04.3	For the first time, Leland Vittert opens up about growing up on the autism spectrum,
0:10.4	the challenges he faced, and the unwavering support that helped shape the man behind the headlines.
0:17.5	The quote-unquote fame that comes with being on TV, it's just never been about that for me.
0:22.1	I'm going to really try and make a difference that, hey, the hard work you put in really makes a
0:29.2	difference in a kid's life.
0:30.7	Welcome to parenting great kids. Here's your host, Dr. Meg Meeker.
0:35.7	Leland's, thanks so much for coming on my podcast today.
0:39.5	Pleasure. Nice to be with you. Thanks for the interest.
0:41.9	Yeah. So, born lucky. In the book, you open up about something that you've never shared
0:48.7	publicly and which I dare say is going to be a surprise to a lot of your viewers that you grew up on the autism spectrum.
0:57.8	Why did you decide to tell your story about it now?
1:02.3	Well, for most of my life, all of my life, it was not ever something I talked about because, as my father decided early on and taught me,
1:13.1	you don't want to be defined by a diagnosis.
1:16.1	And the easiest way not to be defined by it is not to tell anyone about it.
1:20.5	The purpose of this book is a fewfold.
1:24.1	One is to provide hope to parents.
1:27.3	20 million or so kids are diagnosed with ADHD,
1:31.9	autism, some form of developmental behavioral disorders. Zillions more have problems with bullying
1:41.2	and physical disabilities and not fitting in and having a tough time
1:45.3	growing up. And then their parents are left to really be hopeless. This book provides hope that the
1:55.8	hard work, the dedication, the struggle really pays off and really is worth it. That's number one. Number two,
	...

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