Abstract
Three normal children with reported musical ability and three autistic children were tested for the ability to imitate individual tones and series of tones delivered by voice, piano, and synthesizer. Accuracy of imitation was judged by two independent observers on the basis of pitch, rhythm, and duration. The autistic children overall performed as well as or better than the age-matched normal children. These results are discussed and their implications for future neurological and clinical research are considered.
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This research was supported by P. H. S. Research Grants MH-28210 and MH-28231 from the National Institute of Mental Health and by U. S. Office of Education Grant G007802084 from the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped. The authors wish to express their appreciation for the cooperation and support of the Devereaux Foundation, Goleta, California, throughout this investigation.
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Applebaum, E., Egel, A.L., Koegel, R.L. et al. Measuring musical abilities of autistic children. J Autism Dev Disord 9, 279–285 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531742
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531742