Piano Lessons for autism: By ear vs. reading

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Greetings,

I have an Asperger Syndrome daughter, whom I am teaching piano. I also teach others specializing in autism. I teach a combination of by ear and reading, with modified notes and staff to reduce overstimulation. It was recently brought to my attention that some teachers find it better to begin exclusively by reading. I have found that many on the autism spectrum take to playing by ear quite well; after they can play some songs and have some satisfaction and confidence, we can gradually slip the reading in. Have any of you had experience doing this comparison? I am still learning about autism/aspergers and would appreciate any suggestions. Congrats to all of you who have taken the bold step of learning an instrument!

I'm a classically trained pianist. It is my opinion that there is no one right way for everybody. Autistics are as diverse as neuritypicals. Each has different strengths and weaknesses.

I didn't need teaching. Mum bought me a little toy keyboard for my 6th birthday and it just happened! I play by ear because I have a form of 'music dyslexia.' Its basically the same as reading dyslexia but with music.

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I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )

My parents thought of getting me to do piano lessons but I never would have had the patience to practise scales and would have wanted to get into the tunes right away. Learning by ear would have worked best for me but I think it's also good if a person can learn to read music but maybe for Aspies that would come later.

Ear training is indispensable. There is a reason that it is ALWAYS taught at the collegiate level. Music is, first and foremost, auditory. While reading may be a necessary part of the musical process, ear training is best. The best "sight-readers" are actually people who can imagine what the music will sound like and then apply that to the piano (or violin or whatever).

In my lifetime, I've learnt recorder, clarinet and a little piano, and I still can't sight-read. It's odd, because I'm a very visual learner in most ways. I used to think it was because I had such a good memory - I'd memorise the piece too quickly and then I'd just be playing it from my head using the music as a guide rather than actually playing what I saw. Since I was diagnosed 4-5 months ago with AS, I'm wondering if it's more complicated than just a memory issue. I've got a book that's supposed to help with sight-reading skills; if I can get up the discipline to actually study it properly, I'll let you know how it goes.