Savant syndrome

Savant syndrome is a condition in which an individual with a cognitive deficit of some sort (ranging in type and severity) has one or more areas of expertise/ability that is at a genius level. The difference between a savant and genius is this deficit. The most common disability that comes with savant syndrome is autism which is why the term autistic savant is so popular, although the term "idiot savant" is still common in popular usage. "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", which is why "idiot savant" is no longer regarded as a valid medical term. In reality most savants' IQ scores are above 50 and in some cases at the genius level (example: Temple Grandin). Another term is "autistic savant". While this is a correct term in some cases, not all savants are on the autistic spectrum so this term is not always applicable. There are also some cases called "acquired savantism" in which a normal person receives savant status in later life due to a brain injury, such as Orlando Serrell.

Categories

There are three categories of savants which differ in rarity and level of ability:

Splinter skills savant: This is the most common category of savant syndrome. People in this category of have talents that usually include things like memorizing license plate numbers or sports trivia.

Talented savant: This category of savant is much more rare than splinter skills. People in this category usually have talents and facets of knowledge that are much more honed and extensive than the splinter skills savant.

Prodigious savant: This is by far the rarest category of savants. There are only around 100 people estimated to be in this category worldwide. Some famous prodigious savants include Kim Peek, Daniel Tammet, and Leslie Lemke.

Savant skills

One thing that all savants have in common is that their talents are all functions of the right hemisphere of the brain. Right brain talents include things like memory, music, art and mental calculation, the common domains of all savants. Some examples of unique savant skills are on the list that follows, but keep in mind that the lack of these skills does not necessarily disqualify one from being a savant.

• Prodigious Memory
• Mental Calculation
• Calendar Calculation
• Music
• Art
• Autobiographical Memory

Savant memory

Something that almost all savants have in common is a remarkable memory. A memory that Dr. Darold Treffert describes as usually "Very deep, but not very wide." A savant's gifted memory usually only applies to his or her specialty subject(s) and little else.

How savants are born

As stated above savant abilities typically dwell in the right hemisphere of the brain. The vast majority of "normal" people are left brain thinkers so the question arises on how one attains right brain dominance. For savant specialist Dr. Treffert the creation of the savant begins as an unborn child in the womb. In the womb the child's two brain hemispheres are battling for dominance. This is where the male hormone testosterone comes into the equation, and also explains why the majority of savants are male. As the two hemispheres are battling for dominance the testosterone level in the male fetus reaches the level it does in an adult, and shifts the normal left brain dominance to the right. This is of course a very simplified version of the creation of a savant but hopefully it helps.

The acquired savant

Although 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. This brain injury, which usually damages the left brain in some way, unlocks savant abilities in people who did not have them before. 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. After the accident he discovered some unusual new abilities in himself which were calendar calculating and a superior autobiographical memory. Another example of an acquired savant Tommy McHugh who after suffering a brain hemorrhage noticed an extreme change in both personality and abilities. Tommy, who before had a violent streak in him, discovered that this all went away and left him a gentle and kind person. He also discovered that although he had no previous art experience or interest, he all the sudden became obsessed with making art and was extremely talented at doing so.

The savant in everyone

There are many researchers that believe that there is a "savant" so-to-speak, within everyone. At least that is what the cases of acquired savantism suggest. There is a study being done in Australia that gives more evidence of this. Dr. Alen Snyder is trying to unlock savant abilities in normal people by "shutting off" the left hemisphere of the brain with transcranial magnetic stimulation. First he gives his subjects a series of tests which include; estimating the number of dots on a screen after only a few seconds, drawing an animal (usually a cat or horse), and finding errors in common phrases that appear on a screen. After these tests TMS is applied to the subjects left hemisphere of the brain, to simulate left brain damage resulting in right brain compensation. After stimulation, individuals are re-tested. In 40% of Dr. Snyder's test subjects, they did notably better after the stimulation than before.

Statistics

• 10% of people on the autistic spectrum are classified as savants of one category or another
• 50% of savants are autistic, the other 50% have different mental conditions
• Male savants outnumber female savants about 6:1 (83.5%), which is even higher that how much males outnumber females on the autistic spectrum which is about 4:1 (75%)

Myths

• Savants can't be creative: Savants can be very creative. There are some savants who are great musicians, composers and respected artists. Some examples of very creative savants are; Matt Savage, Blind Tom Wiggins, and James Henry Pullen.
• All savants have low IQ's: While savants IQ scores usually range around 50-100, there are many who score above 100 and in some cases at a genius level such as Temple Grandin.

References

• http://www.savantsyndrome.com

• Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome by: Dr. Darold Treffert