'She transforms onstage': Columbus teen with autism shines through love of song, talent

Raya Smith is most herself when she's on the stage.

Even when the "stage" is her living room, where she marches across the room, singing her heart out for the camera.

Smith, 19, can sing. And she loves to do it. She has autism and doesn't speak often, but finds joy in singing and playing a variety of musical instruments, said her mother, Angela Jones.

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"She transforms onstage," Jones said. "She just busts out."

As Smith sang "Listen" by Beyonce in her Northeast Side living room, her mom playing the instrumental version from her phone, Smith danced. She gestured with her hands, placed them on her hips, spun around and played with her long braids, her motions emphatic and her face expressive as she belted it out.

Smith has been singing since she was 4 years old, even before those around her could understand the words. She has sang at ComFest, events for Columbus Police and more, her mom said.

She can hear the instrumental part of song, even if it starts halfway through, and know what it is and start singing, said Jones.

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Smith taught herself to play the keyboard, and then her mom got her lessons so she could learn to read music. She's also worked with a voice coach and can play piano, violin, saxophone, trumpet, drums and guitar, Jones said.

"She has perfect pitch," Jones added. "She'll hear a song and a couple minutes later, she'll play it back. ... She's amazing."

Jones, 51, is a service coordinator at the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities, a job she took on in part because of Smith's diagnosis. Jones was working as an instructional assistant in a classroom for students with developmental needs at a local elementary school when Smith was born. When her daughter was 18 months old, Jones noticed she had stopped talking.

She was then diagnosed with autism and, through her experience finding resources for Smith, Jones wanted to help connect others with resources for their children.

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the nation, with one in 36 children diagnosed with it.

Previously, the incidence was one in 44, said Kathi Machle, managing director of the Autism Society Central Ohio, which helps connect people with autism with resources, including 12 support and social groups it offers.

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April is Autism Acceptance Month and there are 5.8 million adults who live with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism is a developmental condition that can affect a person’s social skills, communication, language and self-regulation, according to the Autism Society of America.

There’s no known cause of autism and the experience is different for everyone.

Machle said talent like Smith's is an outlier.

"Just like across society, the super musical talents are outliers," she said. "I think that's true in the autism community. There are a lot of folks who have talents that are just not recognized because of the denial of opportunities, or just the social anxiety of folks with autism."

Jones is happy that her daughter has found something that brings her so much joy, and that can calm her.

"That's her happy place," Jones said, gesturing to where Smith sat at a keyboard.

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dking@dispatch.com

@DanaeKing