Measuring musical responsiveness in autistic children: a comparative analysis of improvised musical tone sequences of autistic, normal, and mentally retarded individuals

Abstract

This study provided a systematic analysis of improvised tone sequences of autistic children, as compared to musical improvisations by normal and mentally retarded control subjects. The data indicate that autistic children's tone patterns, analyzed and scored for rhythm, restriction, complexity, rule adherence, and originality, almost reached the scores of normal children. The highest individual total score in the study was achieved by an autistic child. Autistic children scored significantly higher than a control group of mentally retarded individuals. The autistic children's tone sequences showed high scores on the rhythm, restriction, and originality scales which support the notion of unusual musical responsiveness and abilities when compared to results in other performance and behavioral areas. In terms of complexity and rule adherence, autistic children's tone sequences resembled those of the mentally retarded by being rather short and repetitive.