Alex Plank
| Alex Plank | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 27th, 1986 (Age 30) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | autism advocate, film consultation, filmmaker |
| Known for | creating Wrong Planet, consulting and acting on FX's The Bridge |
Alexander "Alex" Plank (born 1986) is an autism advocate, filmmaker, actor, and the creator of Wrong Planet. He is known for his consulting work on FX's The Bridge. After being diagnosed at the age of 9 with Asperger syndrome, Plank started Wrong Planet in order to find others like him on the Internet. After the popularity of Wrong Planet grew, Plank has been frequently mentioned in the mainstream media in articles relating to autism, Asperger's, and autism rights.
As a child, Plank was bullied, excluded, and ridiculed by his peers, according to the book Neurotribes. He only found out about his diagnosis of Asperger's after looking through papers in his parents' drawers when he was nine years old. During his teen years, he searched the internet to find others like him but was frustrated by the lack of sites for individuals with autism. He was a Linux developer while still in high school and was familiar with the tools needed to create an online community so after meeting Dan Grover, he created Wrong Planet at the age of 17.
Alex Plank's story regarding the founding of Wrong Planet is covered in the special education curriculum of many universities in the United States. A page is dedicated to Alex Plank and his story in a textbook used by various universities such as the University of Virginia and George Mason University for introduction to special education courses.
In 2010, Plank started an Internet television program called Autism Talk TV. The venture is sponsored by Autism Speaks.Rosie O'Donnell and John Elder Robison talked about the show on Rosie Radio A front page article from The New York Times, entitled "Navigating Love and Autism", written by Amy Harmon, was published in December 2011 about the romantic relationship between his two autistic co-hosts Jack Robison and Kirsten Lindsmith. Alex Plank, Wrong Planet, and Autism Talk TV were discussed.
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