Help!
I've been teaching a lovely 13 yr old boy the violin for a couple of years now, but he's the biggest enigma I've ever had. He was diagnosed with mild Asperger's a year or so ago; he gets very stressed if things aren't a certain way (i.e if the lesson finishes 2 minutes late) or if he can't manage something. The biggest problem, though, is that his musical ability if far in advance of his note-reading, which is non-existent despite my having tried everything under the sun to help him. He plays with beautiful tone and expression, and even with vibrato which he picked up simply by watching me. He learns things by ear and memory, and even though I try not to write finger numbers and note names in I have to eventually tell him what they are as he simply can't remember. Worryingly, if I tell him that one note is a D and write it in, when an identical note comes along 2 beats later he can't see that it is the same at all. He just can't seem to differentiate between any of the lines and spaces. His school reading ability, however, is normal.
I've tried charts, flashcards- you name it, but he still can't even identify open strings! This is such a problem as his technical ability is at least Grade 3 but I can't give him any of the music.
Any advice/ anyone experienced the same thing with an Asperger's child?

This must be a really frustrating experience for you. I haven't taught (yet!) any children with Asperger's (although my nephew has it). But a few comments in your post struck me.

First, if he gets stressed with things he can't manage, is this acting as a mental block to his even trying to learn notation? If he thinks he can't do it, he may have convined himself that it's not something he is even prepared to try to comprehend. I'm not sure how you might manage to take the fear / stress out of it, except by taking him back to basics where notation is concerned (whilst continuing his practical work at the same level) and - by making it really easy - showing him that he can do it.

In some ways, this is borne out by the fact that you say his school reading ability is normal. He is clearly able to learn to understand symbols (ie language) so why not musical notation? However, he reads words every day, and from what you say, he doesn't read music every day. Could you enlist his parents' help, and give him a set of flashcards to take home with him to practise with every day? Just start off with one or two taken home to learn. If he can't recognise even the open strings, get him to look at exactly where they are on the stave, ask him to copy them onto a whiteboard (or paper) so he gets the idea of where they sit, even if he has to count the lines and spaces.

From teaching literacy to vulnerable adults, it was clear that over the years many of them had developed "coping strategies" to help them with things that they could not do. It sounds like your lad has too, and I think you may find that you have to go with him learning things by ear and memory for the time being until his notation reading catches up (if it does). He sounds very musical, so I don't think it would be wise to hold him back in this respect as it would result in frustration for him.

Sorry if you've tried all these things already. It's a really difficult situation and I hope you manage to find something to help him.

Edit: Blimey, sorry for long post!

I know a boy of a similar age, with similar problems. The teacher was very patient and tried everything he could think of. He could play anything by ear, but he couldn't cope with the notes on the music going up and down whereas his hands on the piano moved side to side. They tried switching to keyboard, thinking that might help, but in the end admitted defeat, which is a real shame.

Could you try doing open notes and sticking a little picture of the relevant note next to each string, so that he associates them with the right string, then taking them off and doing the same for the first finger notes? I realise you would struggle to get them small enough, but perhaps if you put the four notes on a bit of card in the right order?

My twelve-year-old cello-playing daughter was diagonsed with dyselxia a few months ago. She had great trouble learning to read music. She used to ask me how I knew if a note was on a line or in a space

I eventually taught her to read music (after she'd been learning for about three years) using the Suzuki note-reading book. I don't know if you are familiar with them (they exist for violin as well). On the left hand page there are only notes in crotchets in 4/4, in fairly large print on the right-hand page different rhythms all on the same open string. New notes are introduced one at a time. So the first page is just two open strings, the second, three open strings etc. then it introduces one finger at a time.

The book suggested doing one note page and then one rhythm page but I actually worked through all the note pages with her first. I did one page a day with her (took about five minutes) for about three months and by the end she could read music so well that when she started the trombone the following year her trombone teacher declared she was a "natural sight-reader."

What a fantastic idea with the masking tape - I'll have to try that.

Maybe you could look at it a different way - what does your student want to achieve from their lessons? Are they doing it for fun, or are they wanting to go to Music College? If I can be a bit controversial for a moment - do they really have to learn to read music?

It's well know that folk music is an Aural Tradition - is this a path he might be interested in? On the "Classical" side the Trinity Guildhall exams make Sight Reading optional in the early grades at at later stages he could take a performance based Certificate exam. Plenty of professional musicians can't read music and cope with barriers such as Dyslexia. I've read that the imbalance of skills in Dyslexia is one of the things which makes sensitivity to music so great in those people who "suffer" from it. I wouldn't be surprised if children with Asperger's had a similar imbalance of skills.

Food for thought in any case.

I would definitely try the masking tape stave trick - it has really helped some of my students.

I recently came across some flashcards with just 2 lines and one space on - I am using these with my beginners and also those who struggle with reading - I get them to read the patterns - steps and skips - they can choose which note to start on - it is a good way to get them reading simple patterns and I'm hoping this will lay firm foundations for reading.
Steps and Skips cards

The rest of this website is well worth a look - lots of good worksheets and games etc

That ' two line stave ' is a great idea! I had not thought of doing that.

A lot of Kodály teachers will use a two-line stave when introducing staff notation (however, some will go straight in with the full stave right from the start).

Can I suggest you ensure that there are no other learning difficulties, just in case you are missing anything obvious. Dyslexia, and lots of other 'dyses' can develop and improve over the years.

He might just hate reading music, and you might be better concentrating on his memory and aural skills.

I've made notes before on a previous thread, which covers teaching and supporting aspergers and autism, just can't think of the precise name of the thread. It was comparatively recent, so perhaps you might like to try a search? I am quite proud of my SEN experience, whilst based in a comprehensive!

Colour might be helpful. If you google Tobin Music you will be able to find out about their approach.