Alexander Plank (born June 27, 1986) is an American
autism advocate, filmmaker, actor, and the creator of
Wrong Planet
Wrong Planet (sometimes referred to by its URL, wrongplanet.net) is an online community for "individuals (and parents / professionals of those) with Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, PDDs, and other neurological differences". The site was ...
. He is known for founding the online community
Wrong Planet
Wrong Planet (sometimes referred to by its URL, wrongplanet.net) is an online community for "individuals (and parents / professionals of those) with Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, PDDs, and other neurological differences". The site was ...
, working on
FX's television series ''
The Bridge'', and acting on ''
The Good Doctor''. At the age of 9, Plank was diagnosed with
Asperger syndrome
Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of beha ...
.
Plank started Wrong Planet at the age of 17 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
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
.
Early life and founding of Wrong Planet
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. 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
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, w ...
developer while still in high school and was familiar with the tools needed to create an online community. After meeting Dan Grover, he created Wrong Planet at the age of 17.
Plank was a contributor to the online encyclopedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a multilingual free online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and using a wiki-based editing system. Wikipedia is the largest and most-read refer ...
during its early years. He contributed to over 10,000 articles.
Alex Plank's story regarding the founding of Wrong Planet is covered in the
special education
Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...
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
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...
and
George Mason University for introduction to special education courses.
Entertainment career
''The Bridge''
Alex Plank served as a consultant for the 2013 TV series ''
The Bridge'' and worked with
Diane Kruger
Diane Kruger ( Heidkrüger; ; born 15 July 1976) is a German and American actress. Early in her career, Kruger gained worldwide recognition and received the Trophée Chopard from the Cannes Film Festival.
Kruger became known for her roles in ...
on developing her character. He made his on-screen acting debut in the finale of season one, playing the role of the intern at the El Paso Times. Diane Kruger stated that Plank was on set every day, would go to the writers room, and was "instrumental" to both her performance and to the writers, as he would also work with the writers in the writers room. Kruger also stated that, while working on the show, she spent more time with Plank than with her partner and friends. Plank introduced a variety of autistic tendencies into Kruger's character of Sonya Cross, including stimming, awkwardness around eye contact, and a flat affect.
The way in which Plank got hired to work ''The Bridge'' was somewhat unconventional. He was reportedly called out of the blue by an executive at FX who had heard of Plank. The executive proceeded to ask him questions about his experiences and his knowledge of autism. After this, Plank was contacted by the
showrunner, Elwood Reid, who invited him to the writers room to talk with the team of writers. It wasn't until after he met with Diane Kruger that Plank was offered a full-time position on the show.
[
]
''The Good Doctor''
In 2019, Plank guest starred in season 2 of ''
The Good Doctor'' as Javier Maldonado, the roommate of Lana Moore, a patient who needs to undergo brain surgery. While Javi initially denies being Lana's boyfriend, it is later revealed that they have a sexual relationship that is more than platonic.
Plank's character's help is needed in the operating room to save Lana but Javi is sensitive to light (Plank wears progressively tinted glasses due to Javi's
sensory processing disorder
Sensory processing disorder (SPD, formerly known as sensory integration dysfunction) is a condition in which multisensory input is not adequately processed in order to provide appropriate responses to the demands of the environment. Sensory proces ...
, a common condition
comorbid
In medicine, comorbidity - from Latin morbus ("sickness"), co ("together"), -ity (as if - several sicknesses together) - is the presence of one or more additional conditions often co-occurring (that is, concomitant or concurrent) with a primary ...
to autism) and he refuses to help with the surgery. While Dr. Shaun Murphy, the show's autistic surgeon, tries to get Javi to overcome his fear by appealing to Javi's affinity for his ritual of playing insect trivia with Lana, Dr. Morgan Reznick appeals to Javi's emotions, insisting that Javi does indeed love Lana. But Javi replies that he does not love her. However, he later unexpectedly shows up during the surgery and saves Lana by overcoming his fear and going into the brightly lit operating room. After surgery, he confesses his love for her.
Filmography
Other autism advocacy
Plank gave the keynote speech at the
Autism Society of America
The Autism Society of America (ASA) was founded in 1965 by Bernard Rimland and Ivar Lovaas together with Ruth C. Sullivan and a small group of other parents of children with autism. Its original name was the National Society for Autistic Childre ...
's national conference in 2010. He also gave the keynote at the ASCEND conference in San Francisco. According to People Magazine, Plank spoke at a conference in San Diego during which he was also involved in the first "all-autism" wedding where he served as DJ and best man.
In 2010, Plank started an Internet television program called Autism Talk TV. The venture is sponsored by
Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks Inc. is a controversial autism advocacy organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, an ...
.
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedian, television producer, actress, author, and television personality. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series '' Star Search'' ...
and
John Elder Robison talked about the show on
Rosie Radio. A front-page article from ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', entitled "Navigating Love and Autism", written by
Amy Harmon
Amy Harmon (born September 17, 1968) is an American journalist.
''nytimes.com''. Retrieved ...
, was published in December 2011 about the
romantic relationship
Romance or romantic love is a feeling of love for, or a strong attraction towards another person, and the courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant emotions.
The ''Wiley Blackwell Encycl ...
between his two autistic co-hosts Jack Robison and Kirsten Lindsmith. Alex Plank, Wrong Planet, and Autism Talk TV were discussed.
Plank traveled to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
in February 2012 to direct a
documentary exposé, entitled ''Shameful'', concerning the way in which autism is viewed and treated in France. When the film was in post-production it was covered by publications in both France and the United States, including ''
L'Express'' and Vivre FM, a radio station in Paris; a trailer was released in July 2012.
Along with French activist David Heurtevent, Plank founded Autism Rights Watch, an
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
for which he serves as president.
Controversies
In 2006, Plank was sued by the victims of a 19-year-old member of the site, William Freund, who shot two people and himself in
Aliso Viejo, California
Aliso Viejo (Spanish for "Old Sycamore") is a city in the San Joaquin Hills of southern Orange County, California. It had a population of 47,823 as of the 2010 census, up from 40,166 as of the 2000 census. It became Orange County's 34th city on ...
.
[Tran, Mi]
Relatives sue over shotgun slayings
"Los Angeles Times", November 18, 2006 Plank appeared on ''
Good Morning America'' and
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
discussing the incident.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Plank, Alex
1986 births
American health activists
Autism activists
Male actors from Virginia
Disability rights activists from the United States
George Mason University alumni
Living people
People from Charlottesville, Virginia
People with Asperger syndrome
American male television actors
21st-century American male actors
Actors with disabilities