Morgan Wolfers was one of those children with autism whose struggles in school made people regard him negatively. The 10-year-old boy from Colorado, however, found solace in photography and has excelled in the subject since then.
Morgan was diagnosed with autism at 3 years old, NBC's 9News reported. Autism is a developmental disorder that affects a person's ability to function socially, at school or work, or in other aspects of life, according to the National Institute of Health.
Autistic individuals have trouble communicating and interacting with other people. They also have repetitive behaviors and limited interests and activities.
Heather Wolfers, Morgan's mother, said that concentrating on things can be a challenge for her son. Miranda Anderson, a teacher at Morgan's school Free Horizon Montessori in Golden, Jefferson County, said that the child needs "extra clarification of directions" in class, 9News further reported.
Morgan's parents have clarity and direction in mind when they took the boy on a hike in the mountains of Jefferson County. Morgan's passion for nature photography started out as a hobby. He was only using his mom's phone, but now, it is more than a hobby he excells in -- he has begun a business to sell his work. (Check out his photographs on Facebook.)
Morgan's father, Adam, said that his son's autism has a silver lining in the sense that he "has always noticed stuff other people don't notice," making him good at photography. Adam also thinks that Morgan's passion for photography helped him focus in all facets of life.
The child can now interact with others and people, in turn, have learned to look past his disability -- thanks to his work. Morgan wants to inspire other children to "try new things and explore [their] limits and what [they] want to do."
Morgan is selling his photographs at a store called Red Roof Relics, an antique store in Conifer. Ten percent of the boy's proceeds go to the Blue Ribbon Arts Initiative, a foundation that helps artistic kids with autism hone their craft. The foundation was created by 12-year-old Max Miller, who's also on the autism spectrum.
Morgan's work has captured so much attention, even National Geographic's. The latter chose a photograph of Morgan that will be displayed in the home of Vice President Joe Biden. National Geographic's selection was a picture of a moth laying eggs, a piece that Morgan described as his signature work.
Gage Howard, a 17-year-old from Frisco, Texas, is another autistic individual that excels in photography, according to Autism Speaks. He believes photography is an avenue where he can express himself in and is something that takes his mind off of the challenges he's facing.
