[Nfb-new-hampshire] Fw: Nineyear- old is blind, autistic and a talented singer.

[Ed Meskys]

We are in touch with his mother, and she has been to an NFB National 
Convention. Ed Meskys


Subject: Nineyear- old is blind, autistic and a talented singer.


Christopher Duffley's musical therapist
CHRISTOPHER'S SONG
.
Pitch perfect:
Nineyear- old is blind, autistic and a talented singer.
By TIM BUCKLAND
New Hampshire Union Leader
March 16, 2011
CHRISTOPHER DUFFLEY
 closed his "fake" eyes and belted out another perfect rendition of the 
national
anthem before a hockey game on Sunday.
He sings with passion. He sings like a trained vocalist.
In the last couple of years, Christopher has become a much-loved local 
performer
of Christian music who also frequently lends his talents to sing "The
Star-Spangled
Banner" before sporting events. He is on
YouTube.com;
 you may be one of thousands to have seen videos of him singing
>See
 Song,
 Page
A10
 "
In a way, we started having conversations through the music. That was his 
way of
conversing with me."
Nine-year-old Christopher
Duffley
 of Manchester sings the national anthem before the Trinity-Londonderry
quarterfinal
boys' basketball game at Trinity High School Friday. See him sing at
UnionLeader.com

Continued from A01
Song
Continued From Page
A1
with national Christian music recording artists at Soulfest 2010.
But hearing him sing, "Oh say can you see," it is hard to remember that
Christopher
is a blind, autistic 9-year-old who had about as rough a start to life as 
could
be
imagined.
"I like singing because I have perfect pitch," an excited Christopher said
during
a phone interview from his Manchester home. When his adoptive mother, 
Christine
Duffley
, asked him how singing makes him feel, he said, "Happy. I feel happy."
A tough first year
Christopher was born in May 2001 about 12 weeks premature. His biological
parents
abused drugs and he tested positive for cocaine at birth, when he weighed 1
pound,
12 ounces, Christine said.
He is blind, as retinopathy of prematurity left him with detached retinas.
He wears ocular shells, or prosthetic blue eyes, fitted over his discolored 
eyes
that, in addition to giving him a "more normal" appearance, also keep his 
head
from
"collapsing
 like an hourglass," said his adoptive father, Stephen
Duffley
.
"I call them his fake eyes," Christine said. "They make him look normal. He
looks
really
 handsome. He's beautiful
 with them."
He was in the hospital for five months after he was born; his mother lost
custody
of him in September of that year to the state of Florida, which put the baby 
in
foster
care.
His biological parents "fled," said Christine, whose younger brother, Skip, 
is
the
boy's biological father. Christopher has since met his biological parents, 
she
said.
He has been diagnosed as autistic. He was able to hold a limited 
conversation
last
week, which his parents said is a huge leap from when Christopher would 
barely
speak
to anyone.
Bringing Christopher home
Christine first visited Christopher in March 2002.
She saw a baby so frail that it took a nurse four sticks of a needle before 
she
could
find a vein to administer intravenous
 fluids. He had double
 pneumonia.
She said her first thought upon seeing the helpless boy
 was, "Can we do this?"
"My first impression was a heavy heart," she said.
Her second thought: "How can we not? He's family."
The Duffleys were granted custody of Christopher later that year and 
officially
adopted
him in November 2003.
Thanks in large part to his four siblings, and in spite of the autism,
Christopher
has blossomed into an active, happy boy, Stephen said.
"It was that stimulus, having them engaging him all the time," he said. "I 
can't
say enough about the impact his siblings had on him."
Christopher's gifts include a keen memory, an acute sense of hearing, an
excellent
sense of tune and pitch, and that gorgeous singing voice.
In 30 seconds, he'll tell you about his singing, his school, God, the way he
makes
people feel when he sings and how it makes him feel.
An example of how good his hearing is: at one point during a telephone
interview,
he asked a reporter to answer the phone, saying the ringing was bothering 
him.
The
phone in question was ringing about 20 feet away across the newsroom.
He hasn't been classified as an autistic savant, as there is no official
classification,
Christine said, "but he fits some of the attributes."
According to an article by Dr. Stephen M. Edelson for the Autism Research
Institute,
"the autistic savant is one of the most fascinating cognitive phenomena in
psychology"
and "refers to individuals with autism who have extraordinary skills not
exhibited
by most persons."
At 2, Christopher had memorized the Roman Catholic Mass and would spend 
church
services
reciting them, including the priest's parts.
"At the beginning, it was kind of awkward," Stephen said with a laugh. "But
everyone
thought he was cute because here was this toddler who could recite the 
Mass."
By 3, he'd started singing, especially Christian music.
The first song he learned, "Open the Eyes of My Heart" by Paul Baloche, 
remains
Christopher's
favorite, Stephen
 said.
 Teachers at his school, Northwest Elementary, especially paraprofessional 
Lisa
Hanel,
"have been terrific for Christopher," Christine said.
He also recently took part
 in a national Braille competition, representing New Hampshire and meeting 
other
blind children from across the country.
But it wasn't until he started attending the Manchester Community Music 
School
that
his musical talents really started to blossom.
The teacher
Shannon Laine met Christopher three years ago when she became his musical
therapist.
"He wouldn't have a conversation
 with you," she said
 of the first few months.
The inability to understand words, even those that are memorized in the form 
of
songs
or phrases, is common among the autistic. For example, Stephen said, 
Christopher
can recite the national anthem to you, no problem, but would be lost if you
asked
him what the song means.
But some people with autism are able to quickly grasp other ways to 
communicate,
such as mathematics.
In Christopher's case, it was music.
"In a way, we started having conversations through the music. That was his 
way
of
conversing with me," Laine said.
So, instead of telling Christopher why he couldn't have an instrument or toy 
at
that
moment, the two would work on a song about it. After a while, Christopher 
would
understand,
Laine said.
"When I met Christopher, I knew he was something really special," Laine 
said.
"What
is unique about him is how far his musical ability has gone.
What sets him apart is his understanding of music. He has absolutely perfect
pitch."
He started performing in front of crowds at age 6. He performed at Soulfest 
2010
and has sung the national anthem before each of the last several Trinity 
High
School
boys' basketball home games.
On Sunday, he sang before Trinity's championship hockey game at the Verizon
Wireless
Arena.
"What an amazing, special young man he is," Trinity basketball coach David 
Keefe
said. "Him singing that national anthem, boy, it's really special to Trinity
boys'
basketball. For him to get out there and sing his heart out the way he does, 
it
just
takes a special spirit."
Christopher isn't just a good
 singer. He can play the piano and keeps his family's four guitars tuned.
"I had to remind myself that he was blind," Laine said. "He just compensates 
for
it so well. To him, it's just this natural thing."
Maybe his mother says it best: "When he sings, he touches people in a way 
you
can't
imagine. He just brings us to a place of simplicity."
The next step
Christopher will face a new chapter shortly, as Laine is taking a year off 
for
maternity
leave. Her last day was Friday.
She has been spending many recent therapy sessions trying to get Christopher 
to
understand
that he'll be working with a new therapist.
He gets it, she said, which is a monumental leap forward for him.
"He's told me that he doesn't want me to leave," she said. "It is profound 
for
him
to even be able to express that."
Friday's goodbye was tearfi lled.
"We're very, very close," Laine said. "It's become very clear that this is 
not
the
end of my relationship with Christopher. Our relationship is going to 
continue
beyond
the therapy that's been provided over the last three years."
The Duffleys, who said they are deeply religious, said they believe 
Christopher
is
an example of "God's grace."
Christine said Christopher has inspired her to speak on behalf of pro-life
groups,
as Christopher proves that a child who might have been considered unwanted 
can
become
something special.
However, she said, raising an autistic child, even one with Christopher's
talents,
is difficult and often frustrating. She said that, without the help of 
family -
"my
parents have been a godsend" - and the assistance of schools and church, 
life
with
Christopher would have been much harder.
"I think what Christopher teaches us is that every life is precious and it's
messy,"
Christine said. "A lot of people ask how we do it. I think God's grace is 
what
brings
a lot of people through their trials."
One thing that will continue, everyone agreed, is Christopher's pursuit of
music.
"Actually, I'll go on tour," Christopher said. "I'm going to make music."
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