The 41-year-old resurfaced recently, looking alert.
Matthew was born with autism and a hole in his heart. He played the Ingall family's adopted son, and is also adopted in real life.
9/28/2008 6:00 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF
A New Frontier
Reader Comments
(Page 3 of 3) Previous 15 Comments | 1 | 2 | 331.
Hmm. The only real claim to him being autistic is imdb.com's bio page, which isn't reliable. And then I go to his wiki and it says he is autistic according to TMZ.com .. o_O
I love you TMZ but would not consider you a "reliable source". On the wiki discussion someone posted this comment and I agree...
"I can't find any solid evidence for the claim that Matt Laborteaux is autistic or was ever diagnosed with autism. The only real "evidence" you can find in a Google search is a trivia blurb in his IMDb entry that says he was "born with autism and a hole in his heart"[1]. IMDb bios aren't reliable sources, as there's little fact checking. Their filmographies are reasonably accurate, but their bios can be riddled with errors, especially for lesser-known people. Furthermore, autism cannot be diagnosed at birth; autistic kids don't show any symptoms for months or even years."
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32.
He looks great. So glad to see that and not some meth head loser. Loves it!
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33.
Matthew's autism was written about when he first joined Little House. He was also in a t.v. interview way back and it was raised how just before Little House he had autistic behaviors, including making a web with string across his room.
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34.
What are you guys talking about? Autism? Matthew doesn't have autism. Check your facts...
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35.
It's probably Aspergers' Syndrome, which is a mild form of autisim. The child affected with it is usually social inactive and ackward, as well as withdrawn.
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36.
Melissa Sue Anderson (Mary) was interviewed a couple years back regarding her LHOP memories and noted that she thought he was an exceptional young actor and she also brought up that he was autistic.
There was, at least a month or so ago, a YOUTUBE video of him doing some sort of work with a local theater/film group that had put together a short. The concept, if I remember right, was that he was pitching himself for acting work and nobody would believe he was qualified or an actor...he kept bringing up that he was Albert from Little House, and the casting people kept laughing it off or couldn't recall the character.
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37.
WOW would never reconize him on the street he really looks good as for Nelly OMG has she Balloon Up she is just HUGE ....
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38.
Yeah, he was one of my favorites. I saw the episode where he biological father came to take him home with him but Albert faked being blind. Quinn took a 180 degree turn and decided that Albert was better off with the Ingalls than with him. I wanted to reach through the tv and hug that child. And after that, smack his father. UGH! Now, you know what would've happened if it had been Charles? He would've done everything in his power to take care of him. You know how he took care of Mary after she went blind? He was always the devoted father. And for being autistic, he did an awesome job. There are degrees of autism so I'm guessing he's one of the lucky ones. I'm glad he's doing well. And yes, he looks great.
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39.
I always loved Albert, and he is still my favorite,I still watch Little House On The Prairie all the time.Hes so adorable.
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40.
i was told alot when i was a kid i looked like him.....my nickname when i was growin up was albert.....even had for a while when i served in the military....
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41.
I wonder if he is married coz I am 42 and I think he has a cute smile even after all these years.
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42.
Like many teen girls in the 80's, I also had a crush on him. He has aged well.
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43.
I just recently read an interview that his mother gave back in the 70's and she talks about how that Matthew didn't even speak until he was 5 yrs old.She said that the adoption agency told her about the hole in his heart but not the autism.She said that when he was a toddler he would stand up in his crib and sleep and that he refused to let anyone touch him.She also talked about the hrs of rocking him after he would finally calm down and let her touch him.She said that acting brought him out of soo much of his turmoil and that she was shocked at how well he was able to get lost in his characters.So yes he does have a form of autism not sure how intense it is but he is certainly an example of hope for those suffering from the disorder.
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44.
I just recently read an interview that his mother gave back in the 70's and she talks about how that Matthew didn't even speak until he was 5 yrs old.She said that the adoption agency told her about the hole in his heart but not the autism.She said that when he was a toddler he would stand up in his crib and sleep and that he refused to let anyone touch him.She also talked about the hrs of rocking him after he would finally calm down and let her touch him.She said that acting brought him out of soo much of his turmoil and that she was shocked at how well he was able to get lost in his characters.So yes he does have a form of autism not sure how intense it is but he is certainly an example of hope for those suffering from the disorder.
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