Young girl with autism earns worldwide attention for her rendition of ‘Hallelujah’

Across the internet and around the world, a 10-year-old girl once afraid to speak at all in the classroom has made her voice heard.

Kaylee Rogers has mild autism and ADHD and attends Killard House School in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland, according to the BBC. The school, which is dedicated to children with learning disabilities, held an end-of-the-semester musical show Sunday, and Rogers was selected to sing a version of “Hallelujah,” with the lyrics modified to reflect the Christmas season, according to Belfast Live.

Her powerful performance of the classic by Leonard Cohen has garnered hundreds of thousands of views, comments and reactions on Facebook and YouTube.

“It was really amazing how many views I got,” she told ITV. “I just loved doing it.”

The school’s music teacher, Lloyd Scates, discovered Rogers’s talent early on and encouraged her to develop her voice through performing at school events, according to the BBC. And despite the fact that in most classes she is quiet and reserved, Rogers comes out of her shell when singing, according to NewsHub.

“(Scates) got her to sing a few solos and she performed at the Easter and Harvest concerts, which helped her confidence to grow,” Killiad’s principal, Colin Millar, told Belfast Live. “Kaylee is a lovely child; she’s very quiet and shy, but when she opens her mouth to sing, something wonderful happens.”

Rogers’s mother, Tracy Rogers, told the BBC that if her daughter pursues a professional singing career, Scates will have to be involved.

“She always loved singing, but it wasn't until she started at Killard House School that she really came into her own,” Rogers said. “He's like her safety blanket —he's amazing.”

On social media, Kaylee’s performance drew rave reviews.

This story was originally published December 21, 2016 at 9:30 PM with the headline "Young girl with autism earns worldwide attention for her rendition of ‘Hallelujah’."