Granger mom fights for son's genetic diagnosis - The-Press-News

Granger mom fights for son's genetic diagnosis - The-Press-News: GRANGER, Ind. (AP) -- To most people, 9-year-old Alex Morlan looks perfectly normal. But on the inside, the active Granger boy is special.

"My job is to prepare him in every way possible to have the best adulthood he could potentially have," said Lori Morlan, Alex's mom.

Lori has known since Alex was a baby that he was somehow different. At 6 months old, he wasn't meeting milestones like other children -- he was slow to crawl and speak. Lori said doctors dismissed problem after problem, but she knew something was wrong.

Something in her "just didn't feel right," Lori said. "I wanted to trust and believe that completely, but something in me said there has to be more."

Last year, while watching James Durbin on the popular TV show "American Idol," curiosity got the best of her. Durbin has Tourette and Asperger syndromes but still managed to stand out as an exceptional singer on season 10.

What Genius and Autism Have in Common | Healthland | TIME.com

What Genius and Autism Have in Common | Healthland | TIME.com: Child prodigies evoke awe, wonder and sometimes jealousy: how can such young children display the kinds of musical or mathematical talents that most adults will never master, even with years of dedicated practice? Lucky for these despairing types, the prevailing wisdom suggests that such comparisons are unfair — prodigies are born, not made (mostly). Practice alone isn’t going to turn out the next 6-year-old Mozart.