Musical Disability in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental in origin, and characterized by impaired social communications and interactions, along with repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities. Individuals with ASD may have a great interest in mathematics, art, or music, and occasionally have a remarkable talent in one of these fields. Musical savants with autism are individuals with superior ability in musical perception and production, despite their intellectual and social impairments. Several studies show that individuals with autism have better musical ability (sound reproduction, note identification, and pitch perception) than typically developing (TD) individuals (Applebaum et  al., 1979; Bonnel et al., 2003; Heaton, 2005; Heaton et al., 1998).
Source: Psychiatry Research - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Source Type: research