Antonio has been uploading his videos to YouTube for four years. Initially, they could be hard to understand and some viewers would make unkind comments. Antonio was undeterred. So long as people were showing up to watch, he was thrilled.
Though he has trouble connecting with other kids in person and has been the subject of a lot of school yard bullying and rejection, connecting via a computer has been a far better experience. He's learned about video-editing, using royalty-free music, authoring DVDs and animation - all of this despite developmental delays, autism and cerebral palsy.
His shows are about pirates, evil twins and cowboys, and many are about his life. He publishes a "vlog" detailing his dog walks and day to day activities. He recently made a music video, "The Awesome Music", using natural sounds like a door closing, gargling and typing on a keyboard.
With a video camera and a laptop Antonio soars, alongside and sometimes past, his typical peers.
Though his parents tried to get involved, he's always insisted on working independently. He's had moments of frustration but managed to figure out where to look for help and worked through to the other side of every challenge. He's testament to the fact that we should never count these kids out. We just need to know when to get out of the way sometimes.
Now, at fifteen-years-old he has three channels, one "Copyrightmoviestvshowsongs funny videos guy" has 400,000 views and 380 subscribers. His goal is to get to 400 subscribers. I have no doubt he will get there and beyond.
Tucson, AZ
