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Autistic jazz savant graduates from Berklee

He gained early fame as a jazz prodigy beset by autism. Today, Matthew Savage is ready for anything

By Bella English

 |  Globe Staff  

  May 12, 2012

Matt Savage doesn’t like to think of his younger days, when he couldn’t stand the sound of music, even his family singing “Happy Birthday’’ to him. Diagnosed at age 3 with autism, he was hyperactive, engaged in repetitive motions and lasted two days in preschool before being kicked out. Noise of any sort, including music, was anathema. Now, music is his life. On Saturday, his 20th birthday, Savage will graduate from the Berklee College of Music with a 3.99 grade point average.

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