Absolute pitch in a four-year-old boy with autism.
Absolute pitch is the ability to identify the pitch of an isolated tone. We report on a 4-year-old boy with autism and absolute pitch, one of the youngest reported in the literature. Absolute pitch is thought to be attributable to a single gene, transmitted in an autosomal-dominant fashion. The association of absolute pitch with autism raises the speculation that this talent could be linked to a genetically distinct subset of children with autism. Further, the identification of absolute pitch in even young children with autism may lead to a lifelong skill.
Brenton
James N
JN
Pediatric Section, Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, USA.
Devries
Seth P
SP
Barton
Christine
C
Minnich
Heike
H
Sokol
Deborah K
DK
D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010897:Pitch Discrimination / Q000502:physiology*