Essay About Savant Syndrome And Savant Skills

The Science Behind Savant Syndrome
The Science Behind Savant Syndrome
The Science Behind Savant Syndrome
Definition of Savant Syndrome
Astonishing areas of ability
In contrast to areas of handicap
Fascinating phenomenon in cognitive psychology
Savant holds key to understanding memory and cognition
First recognized by Dr. J. Langdon Down
Coined term “idiot savant”
No longer used, inappropriate connotation
Few savants have low IQs
Statistics
Fewer than 100 reported cases of prodigious savants in world literature
Congenital
Acquired in normal individual following CNS injury or disease
Occurs more frequently in males than females 6:1 ratio
10% of autistic persons have some savant abilities
Often associated with premature birth history
Many savants go unnoticed
Description of special savant abilities/savant skills
Always linked with incredible memory
Very narrow
Extremely deep
Relies more on corticostriatal than cortico limbic
Cognitive used more commonly in normal people
Skills usually manifested in one of six areas
Calendar calculating
Lightening calculating and mathematical ability
Art, drawing, sculpture
Music
Usually piano with perfect pitch
Most common savant skill
Often co-exists with blindness and autism
Mechanical abilities
Spatial skills
Can have unusual language abilities
Skills can appear suddenly without explanation
Can disappear just as suddenly
Other less frequent manifestation of skills
Memorizing maps
Visual measurement
Extrasensory perception
Unusual sensory discrimination
Enhanced sense of touch and smell
Perfect sense of timing without use of a clock
Skills can be in one of three (3) categories
Splinter skills
Skills stand in contrast to person’s overall level of functioning
Talented savants
Person displays high level of ability in contrast to their disability
Prodigious savants
Rarest
Ability is so spectacular in contrast to disability that it would be spectacular even if seen in a non-disabled person
Famous Savants
Rain Man
Leslie Lemke, music
Alonzo Clemens, sculptor
Richard Wawro, painting
Stephen Wiltshire, drawing
Tony DeBlois, music
Theoretical Explanations
Inherited skills
Concrete thinking
Left brain injury with right brain compensation
Pre-natal, peri-natal, or post-natal
The Science Behind Savant Syndrome