Posted by Michelle Gonzalez on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
By all accounts, Christopher Duffley didn’t have a fighting chance. Born in May of 2001, Duffley’s biological parents tested positive for Oxycontin and cocaine, contributing to a premature birth. Weighing in at less than two pounds, Christopher was born permanently blind (detached retinas), along with a myriad of other health problems, requiring a seven-month hospital [...]
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Posted in Autism and Faith, Famous People With Autism 
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Posted by Susan Moffitt on Tuesday, July 19th, 2011
One of my favorite bands of all time is Talking Heads, the American New Wave band formed in 1974 in New York City and active until 1991. David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison comprised the band that fused elements of punk, art rock, avant-garde, pop, funk, world music and Americana. Frontman and [...]
READ MORE Posted in Aspergers Syndrome, Famous People With Autism, High Functioning Autism 11 Comments »
Posted by Gary G. Porter on Friday, May 13th, 2011
In what could be reminiscent of the 2000 presidential election, there has been some Internet chatter about a potential American Idol voting controversy involving James Durbin and Lauren Alaina and the possibility that some votes intended for Durbin were accidentally funneled to her instead. Typically, when the Idol field is narrowed to a handful of [...]
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Posted by Gary G. Porter on Sunday, May 8th, 2011
In what seems to be an emerging trend in reality TV competitions, another potential star with autism has been born from the fifth installment of Britain’s Got Talent. Eleven-year-old James Hobley appeared last night from Manchester, England and blew judges away with a dance routine that would have made Mikhail Baryshnikov proud. Hobley, who admitted [...]
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Posted by Michelle Gonzalez on Thursday, May 5th, 2011
Leading up to April’s Autism Awareness Month, much media attention was given to an incredible young man by the name of Jacob Barnett, a 13-year-old with Asperger’s Syndrome who has a tested IQ of 170 (higher than Einstein’s). Deemed a child prodigy, Barnett was attending Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and taking advanced astrophysics classes [...]
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Posted by Gary G. Porter on Wednesday, May 4th, 2011
In what could be one of the most emotional performances in recent memory on American Idol, James Durbin performed "Without You, a powerful ballad by Harry Nilsson from the 1970′s. It was the second performance of the night for Durbin, who also sang "Closer to the Edge," a song that he used to open the [...]
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Posted by Gary G. Porter on Wednesday, April 27th, 2011
In what may have been the best performance of the season from any American Idol contestant, James Durbin performed "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," from Carole King and once again stood head-and-shoulders above the rest of the competition. Durbin clearly outshined the other 5 remaining Idol contestants, prompting Judge Randy Jackson to proclaim, "This [...]
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Posted by Gary G. Porter on Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
Week after week, American Idol contestants are challenged by judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler to step it up and take chances. James Durbin did just that this week, with a cover of Muse’s "Uprising." Along with an accompanying marching band of drummers, Durbin executed what was arguably the best performance of the [...]
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Posted by Gary G. Porter on Saturday, March 26th, 2011
An upsetting video has been discovered on YouTube, mocking James Durbin and his Tourette’s Syndrome. The video, which was uploaded on March 24, 2011 by an individual using the handle "jordans704," shows a 54-second clip from this past Thursday’s American Idol results show in which James Durbin can be seen making unusual facial expressions during [...]
READ MORE Posted in American Idol, Aspergers Syndrome, Autism and the Media, Autism News, Bullying, Commentary, Famous People With Autism, YouTube 43 Comments »
Posted by Gary G. Porter on Thursday, March 24th, 2011
In a tense moment on American Idol Thursday night, James Durbin, along with Paul McDonald, were both on stage awaiting their fates from Ryan Seacrest. The American Idol host delivered the news that neither Durbin nor McDonald were safe, temporarily stunning the audience in attendance and millions at home. However, in a strange and bizarre [...]
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