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Autism
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Autism and pitch processing splinter skills

A group and subgroup analysis

Pamela Heaton

Goldsmiths' College, London, UK, P.Heaton{at}gold.ac.uk

Kerry Williams

Goldsmiths' College, London, UK

Omar Cummins

Goldsmiths' College, London, UK

Francesca Happé

Goldsmiths' College, London, UK

Autism is characterized by an uneven profile of cognitive abilities and population studies show that approximately 10 percent of diagnosed individuals possess a skill that is significantly better than would be predicted by global IQ. Recent evidence suggests that individuals with autism who possess special skills may represent a distinct genetic group within the autism spectrum. Intellectually high- and low-functioning children and adolescents with autism, together with age- and intelligence-matched comparison participants, completed two experiments that tested pitch discrimination and pitch memory within a visuo-spatial format. The analysis of the data from the studies showed that a subgroup of individuals with autism achieved performance scores that were between four and five standard deviations above the mean for the groups. Unlike comparison participants, their performance appeared to be independent of intelligence, musical training and experience. The findings were interpreted within the context of neuroconstructivist models of typical development and delayed language acquisition characteristic of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Key Words: ability islands • autism • pitch processing • splinter skills • tone memory

Autism, Vol. 12, No. 2, 203-219 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1362361307085270
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