Heaton Pamela
Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths College, University of London, New Cross, London SE14 6NW, UK.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2009 May 27;364(1522):1443-7. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0327.
Descriptions of autistic musical savants suggest that they possess extraordinary skills within the domain. However, until recently little was known about the musical skills and potential of individuals with autism who are not savants. The results from these more recent studies investigating music perception, cognition and learning in musically untrained children with autism have revealed a pattern of abilities that are either enhanced or spared. For example, increased sensitivity to musical pitch and timbre is frequently observed, and studies investigating perception of musical structure and emotions have consistently failed to reveal deficits in autism. While the phenomenon of the savant syndrome is of considerable theoretical interest, it may have led to an under-consideration of the potential talents and skills of that vast majority of autistic individuals, who do not meet savant criteria. Data from empirical studies show that many autistic children possess musical potential that can and should be developed.
对自闭症音乐天才的描述表明，他们在该领域拥有非凡的技能。然而，直到最近，对于非天才自闭症患者的音乐技能和潜力却知之甚少。这些最新研究对未经音乐训练的自闭症儿童的音乐感知、认知和学习进行了调查，结果揭示了一系列能力增强或未受损的模式。例如，经常观察到对音高和音色的敏感度增加，并且对音乐结构和情感感知的研究一直未能发现自闭症患者存在缺陷。虽然学者综合征现象具有相当大的理论研究价值，但它可能导致人们对绝大多数不符合学者标准的自闭症患者的潜在才能和技能关注不足。实证研究数据表明，许多自闭症儿童拥有可以而且应该被开发的音乐潜力。
