Leland Vittert is best known as a journalist. He's been an international correspondent covering intense stories from the Middle East and hosts NewsNation's On Balance with Leland Vittert. What most don't know about Leland is that he lives with autism.

In his recent book, Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, A Grateful Son and My Journey with Autism, Leland dove deep into his journey from a young person struggling socially to the thriving life he has today. I met with Leland to explore what he wants others to know about his story, and to encourage neurodivergent youth.

From childhood, Leland had a unique style of relating to others. He was bullied mercilessly, but also flew a plane from Alaska to Michigan before the age of 12. With hopes to better understand their child and what he needed, his parents sought an evaluation. The results were bewildering; an IQ test revealed a nearly 70-point gap between his performance and verbal IQ scores. Remarks on 'social blindness' and 'pervasive developmental disorder,' a condition on the autism spectrum, were made. His parents didn't tell anyone.

Leland says, "I think they really felt hopeless and helpless when they heard of my diagnosis. I think there are so many parents of autistic kids, kids with

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