Intriguing connections between giftedness and autism, music and language.

Sue Bennett, Autism Coach

Are gifted and talented children part of the autism spectrum?  A recent study of gifted and talented children indicates that gifted children typically also have disabilities in language related or social skills.    Conversely, 1 in 10 children within the autism spectrum exhibit gifted or "savant" abilities to a degree.  Savant ability is an unusual ability present in a child that also has impairments.

Both gifted and autistic children tend to have skills that are based in the right brain – they typically have a larger right brain and are more likely to have anomalies in the left brain.   Gifted or savant abilities typically occur in right brain skills such as art, music, and math.  Deficits in these same children typically occur in the brain activities normally handled by the left brain such as language and social skills. 

Boys are much more likely to be labeled gifted or autistic.  Six times as many boys are diagnosed autistic as girls.  Recent research also indicates that left brain is slower to develop in boys than girls, and therefore more vulnerable to developmental damage after birth.

There are still huge unanswered questions about how the brain functions – and the scientific model of the brain as revealed by science is constantly shifting.  However, data is now pouring in from scientists using MRI and CAT scan technology to observe which sections of the brain are active during different activities and from testing of how the brains of the neuro-typical population differs from those with learning disabilities and brain damage due to strokes and other injuries. 

A new left brain/right brain picture is starting to emerge – it appears as if functions in the same parts of right and left brain typically mirror each other, but that the right brain is more general, and the left brain is more detail-oriented.  This has important implications for autism.  The right portion of the brain that interprets input from sound addresses the broader interpretation of sound such as frequencies and pitch associated with music and the left mirrored portion of the brain that interprets sound tends to address the details of sound, including the discrete interpretation of sound in the form of language.

Autistic children typically have minimal or no impairment in musical ability – they do not pick up nuance in facial expression such as distinguishing between a happy and sad face but do pick up emotional nuance in music and can distinguish happy from sad music.  Researchers have found that students with autism often exhibit a high level of preference for music and show little deficit in processing musical components although they may have processing difficulties in non-musical areas. Many individuals with autism demonstrate a highly accurate memory for song lyrics, increased initiation of singing compared with speaking, and significant increases in attention, motivation, and emotional engagement during music activities.  Recent research has also determined that there is an area in the right half of the brain known to interpret written musical notes and passages of notes, that corresponds in location to the left-half area of the brain known to interpret written letters and words.

In stroke patients who experience damage in the language areas on the left side of the brain, it appears as if the mirror area of the right side of the brain takes over this function as the patient recovers language ability, much as an understudy in a play takes over when the star is unable to perform.  Some people who have difficulty with stuttering, will not stutter when they sing their words.  Subjects sing what they want to say, and some improve their fluency of speech.  One of the implications of this research is that music can be a powerful therapeutic tool for building language  – perhaps to train the musical area of the right brain to take on the ability to comprehend and process language.  

Singing to your child, having your child sing, playing music (especially classical and harmonious music), teaching through musical songs, and teaching dance or rhythmical movement to music may help to create the organizational structures that can be used to build language.  I always sang to my son as a preschooler and had him sing along.  Tap dancing and Auditory Integration Training (listening to specially filtered music from which certain frequencies are removed) have also been highly beneficial. 

Piano lessons for higher functioning children appear to be especially beneficial because the piano strengthens so many areas of cognitive function and undoubtedly builds cross-connections between these areas.  Areas that piano strengthens include:  bilateral coordination (using two hands to play), auditory processing, memory (remembering sequences of notes), and fine motor coordination (strengthening fingers leads to improved handwriting).  My 10 y6ear old son has been taking piano for three years and is now a gifted pianist - he has begun competing in local piano competitions.   

The musical game, Dance Revolution, which runs on the Playstation II,  is therapeutically beneficial.   Dance Revolution is used with a separately purchased dance mat that connects to the Playstation.  The dance mat is an approximately 3 x 3 foot square  divided into a 3 x3  grid (like tic-tac-toe) with a cord plugs into the Playstation slot where a hand-held game controller would be attached.  Each square on the grid is a control for the dance mat.  Instead of playing games with a hand-held controller the child steps on the appropriate square on the mat to control the game.    The game has a teaching mode and a game playing mode and many levels of difficulty.  When dancing, each square represents a foot position shown by directional arrows displayed on the television screen when the game is playing - and the child must step on the correct square in synchronization with the music.  This game is excellent for physical coordination, following directions and increasing reaction time in a fun, musical context.  My son is considerably more alert and connected after playing Dance Revolution.

Experts are still exploring the frontiers of the brain, but we as parents can use the latest research to gain greater insights into understanding the true nature of autism and apply this knowledge to help our children.