The Difference(s) Between Autistic Individuals and Neurotypical Individuals when Learning to Identify Pitch

This study aimed to compare and determine possible differences between autistic and neurotypical individuals in learning to identify pitch. This study investigates whether autistic individuals are more accurate at pitch-matching than neurotypical individuals. This study employs a quantitative approach and a variation of the pitch-matching test. The population for this study consisted of males and females from West Virginia, with 20 autistic and neurotypical participants aged 18 years and older. The study included 50% of participants with autism and 50% of neurotypical participants. In each group, there were an even number of males and females, neurotypical and neuroatypical, and a mix of ages within the age range. This study was conducted primarily in a private classroom in Barboursville, West Virginia, and partly via FaceTime calls. This relatively small room contained only a keyboard and two chairs to avoid distractions. Many findings can be derived from this study. This study will potentially improve music education for autistic students and impact their communities. Identifying the number of autistic individuals with perfect or exceptional relative pitches could greatly affect their music learning. Making these connections between pitch-matching and neuroatypical students could also benefit music educators when designing curricula. The results of the study show that the neurotypical participants scored higher on accurate pitch matching than the neuroatypical participants.