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Savant syndrome, sometimes abbreviated as savantism, is not a recognized medical diagnosis, but researcher Darold Treffert defines it as a rare condition in which persons with developmental disorders (including autism spectrum disorders) have one or more areas of expertise, ability or brilliance that are in contrast with the individual's overall limitations. Developmental disorders are disorders that occur at some stage in a Child 's development often retarding the development The autism spectrum, also called autism spectrum disorders (ASD or autism spectrum conditions (ASC with the word autistic sometimes replacing autism [1] Treffert says the condition can be genetic, but can also be acquired,[1] and coexists with other developmental disabilities "such as mental retardation or brain injury or disease that occurs before (pre-natal) during (peri-natal) or after birth (post-natal), or even later in childhood or adult life. "[1]

Individuals with the syndrome are often simply called savants. This can be a source of confusion since savant can also mean a person of learning, especially one of great knowledge in a particular subject. The terms idiot savant or autistic savant are also used. "Idiot" was used by the medical profession in the late 19th and early 20th century to refer to a person whose IQ was less than 20, although that usage has now given way to "profound mental retardation"; the term idiot savant is no longer regarded as a valid medical term. Idiot is a word derived from the Greek, idiōtēs ("person lacking professional skill" "a private citizen" "individual" from An Intelligence Quotient or IQ is a score derived from one of several different Standardized tests attempting to measure Intelligence. Mental retardation is a generalized triarchic disorder characterized by subaverage cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors with onset before the age [1]

According to Treffert, about half of persons with savant syndrome have autistic disorder, while the other half have another developmental disability, mental retardation, brain injury or disease. He says, ". . .   not all savants are autistic, and not all autistic persons are savants. "[1] Other researchers state that autistic traits and savant skills may be linked,[2] or have challenged some earlier conclusions about savant syndrome as "hearsay, uncorroborated by independent scrutiny". [3]

Contents

Characteristics

According to Treffert, something that almost all savants have in common is a remarkable memory:[1] a memory that he describes as "exceedingly deep but very, very narrow". [1]

Savant-like skills may be latent in everyone. [4] Allan Snyder attempted to simulate savant impairment in normal controls by "directing low-frequency magnetic pulses into the left fronto-temporal lobe" of the brain. Allan Snyder is the director of the Centre for the Mind and a co-founder of Emotiv Systems. Differences were observed in four of 11 subjects. [4]

An autistic savant (historically described as an idiot savant) is a person with both autism and savant skills. Autistic savants may have mental abilities called splinter skills. [1] Why autistic savants are capable of these astonishing feats is not quite clear. Some savants have obvious neurological abnormalities (such as the lack of corpus callosum in Kim Peek's brain). The corpus callosum is a structure of the Mammalian Brain in the longitudinal fissure that connects the left and right Cerebral hemispheres It also facilitates ----------------KIM PEEK IS NOT AUTISTIC--------------------- _please_ do not add this to autism-related categories or claim he is in the article - read Many savants are known to have abnormalities in the left hemisphere of the brain. [5]

Causes and pathophysiology

The Savant Syndrome is poorly understood. There is no cognitive theory that explains the combination of talent and deficit found in savants [6]

Savant syndrome is four to six times more frequent in males than females, and this delta is not entirely explained by the preponderance of males in the autistic population [1]. This has led to suggestions [1] that the Geschwind-Galaburda Hypothesis applies to savant syndrome where both the brain injury and savantism appear to be congenital. The Geschwind-Galaburda hypothesis was proposed by Norman Geschwind and Albert Galaburda to explain sex differences in cognitive abilities by relating them

The vast majority of savants are born savants, there are also cases in which an individual gains savant status in later life due to a brain injury. Examples of these rare occurrences are; Orlando Serrell who was hit by a baseball on the left side of the head at age 10 in 1979. Orlando L Serrell (born 1968) is an "acquired savant " &mdash someone who exhibits savant skills after CNS injury or disease as opposed a person After the accident he developed calendar calculating skills and an autobiographical memory.

Epidemiology

According to Treffert:[1]

History

According to Treffert, the term idiot savant was first used to describe the condition in 1887 by Dr. John Langdon Down, who is known for his description of Down Syndrome. John Langdon Haydon Down ( November 18, 1828 - October 7, 1896) was a British doctor best known for his description of what Down syndrome, Down's syndrome, or trisomy 21 is a Chromosomal disorder caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. [1]

Working in an institution for people with mental illness, he was stunned by the occasional "idiot savant" he would come across. There are accounts of him meeting a boy who after reading a book once could recite it back perfectly, another who could do considerably large mental calculations faster than someone could write them down on paper, and a savant who could calculate time with near perfect accuracy without looking at a clock. In that time period it was a mystery to scientists and psychologists alike how genius can be mixed with disability. Today much more is known about savants, but it has been only within the past 20 years that the mystery of savants has begun to unravel.

Society and culture

Kim Peek was the basis for the 1988 fictional film Rain Man,[7][8] although his diagnosis is no longer autism. ----------------KIM PEEK IS NOT AUTISTIC--------------------- _please_ do not add this to autism-related categories or claim he is in the article - read Rain Man is a 1988 dramatic film written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass and directed by Barry Levinson. [9]

Famous prodigious savants

See also: People speculated to have been autistic

There are only about 100 recognized prodigious savants in the world. Famous historical people have been speculated to have been Autistic by journalists academics and autism professionals [10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Treffert, Darold. Savant syndrome: Frequently asked questions. Wisconsin Medical Society. Retrieved on 2008-03-27. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 196 BC - Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt. 1309 - Pope Clement V excommunicates
  2. ^ Heaton P, Wallace GL (July 2004). "Annotation: the savant syndrome". J Child Psychol Psychiatry 45 (5): 899–911. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.t01-1-00284.x. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. PMID 15225334. “CONCLUSIONS: We thus conclude that autism (or autistic traits) and savant skills are inextricably linked and we should therefore look to autism in our quest to solve the puzzle of the savant syndrome. ” 
  3. ^ McMullen T (December 1991). "The savant syndrome and extrasensory perception". Psychol Rep 69 (3 Pt 1): 1004–6. PMID 1784646. “D. A. Treffert, following B. Rimland, cited examples which he states show ESP to be occurring in certain autistic savant children. The evidence is questioned on the ground that it is hearsay, uncorroborated by independent scrutiny. ” 
  4. ^ a b Snyder AW, Mulcahy E, Taylor JL, Mitchell DJ, Sachdev P, Gandevia SC (December 2003). "Savant-like skills exposed in normal people by suppressing the left fronto-temporal lobe". J. Integr. Neurosci. 2 (2): 149–58. PMID 15011267.  
  5. ^ Treffert, D. A. & Christensen, D. D. (2005). "Inside the Mind of a Savant", Scientific American, 293(6).
  6. ^ Pring L (2005). "Savant talent". Dev Med Child Neurol 47 (7): 500–3. PMID 15991873.  
  7. ^ a b c Treffert, Darold A. and Gregory L. Wallace (2003). Islands of Genius (PDF). Scientific American, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-11-08. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration
  8. ^ NASA Studying 'Rain Man's' Brain. Space. com (November 8, 2004). Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Retrieved on 2007-09-14. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus.
  9. ^ Wulff, Jane (November 2006). Kim Peek and Fran Peek: 'I am important to know you' (PDF). Multnomah Education Service District. Retrieved on 2007-09-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated
  10. ^ Martin, D (September 18, 2006). Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Savants: Charting Islands of Genius. CNN Health.
  11. ^ Treffert, Darold. Alonzo Clemons - Genius Among Us. Wisconsin Medical Society. Retrieved on 2007-11-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat
  12. ^ Treffert, Darold. Tony DeBlois - A Prodigious Musical Savant. Wisconsin Medical Society. Retrieved on 2007-11-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat
  13. ^ Jonathan Lerman:
    • Treffert, Darold. Jonathan Lerman - An Extraordinary Artist. Wisconsin Medical Society. Retrieved on 2007-11-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat
    • Blumenthal, Ralph. "Success at 14, Despite Autism; His Drawings Go for Up to $1,200 and Win High Praise", The New York Times, 2002-01-16. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Retrieved on 2007-11-05. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany)  
  14. ^ Treffert, Darold. Thristan "Tum-Tum" Mendoza - A Child Prodigy Marimbist With Autism from the Philippines. Wisconsin Medical Society. Retrieved on 2007-11-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat
  15. ^ Derek Paravicini:
    • Treffert, Darold. Derek Paravicini - A Talent and Love for Music. Wisconsin Medical Society. Retrieved on 2007-11-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat
    • Meet Musical Savant Rex: Lesley Stahl Checks In On A Boy With An Extraordinary Musical Talent. CBS, 60 Minutes (October 23, 2005). Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2007-11-08. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration
  16. ^ James Henry Pullen:
    • Ward, O. Conor. "The Childhood and the Life of James Henry Pullen, the Victorian Idiot Savant (1832–1916)", Abstract of article cited at adc.bmjjournals.com Retrieved on 14 June 2006. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
    • Treffert, Darold. James Henry Pullen - Genius of Earlswood Asylum. Wisconsin Medical Society. Retrieved on 2007-11-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat
  17. ^ Matt Savage:
    • "The Prodigy", People magazine June 17, 2002. Events 1462 - Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II ( The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.
    • Treffert, Darold. Matt Savage - A 14-Year-Old Marvelous Musician. Wisconsin Medical Society. Retrieved on 2007-11-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat
  18. ^ Treffert, Darold. Henriett Seth F. - Rain Girl. Wisconsin Medical Society. Retrieved on 2007-11-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat
  19. ^ Johnson, Richard (February 12, 2005). Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A genius explains. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2007-11-08. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration
  20. ^ Unlocking the brain's potential. BBC News (10 March 2001). Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2007-11-08. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration

Further reading

External links

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