NEW YORK (TODAY) - When Kaylee Rogers, 10, first came to her small school in Northern Ireland, the little girl with autism and ADHD was very quiet around other students and rarely spoke up in class.
Four years later, a love of music has transformed Kaylee into a confident singer now sharing her amazing voice with the world. Her show-stopping version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at this year's holiday choir performance at Killard House Special School in Donaghadee has drawn raves from around the world.
"She was a very reserved, non-communicative, anxious child when she first came to us at 6 years old, but we noticed she always enjoyed singing in the class,'' Killard House principal Colin Millar told TODAY. "Our music teacher put her in major roles in the school plays, and it took off from there.
"When she sings, she just opens up into the beautiful young girl she is and shows the talent she has. It's her way of dealing with the anxiety and really just settles her down to allow her to access her learning abilities."
Kaylee, who is a big Adele fan, has been blown away by the attention her performance has received from around the world.
"She just says, 'I'm so happy that so many people are going to have a lovely Christmas from my song,''' Millar said. "In her mind, she won't be able to appreciate the enormity, but just giving people a great holiday is what is making her happy."
Killard House is a school of 200 children with special needs in a small village in Northern Ireland, and Millar is grateful his students are being recognized on a grand scale.
"A lot of people write children off who have special needs or learning difficulties,'' he said. "They're sort of just pushed aside, when they have so many gifts and talents as well. I think this shows that special needs children have so much to give to the world."
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