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The weird and wonderful world of savant syndrome

First described in 1783 in the German psychology journal Gnothi Sauton, savant syndrome has since baffled scientists around the world with its seemingly contradictory core attribute: above average abilities in people who otherwise demonstrate below average cognitive skills. Its first mention in a scientific paper was in the case of Jedediah Buxton who astounded researchers with his extraordinary memory and ability for making rapid calculations. A few years later, the case of Thomas Fuller was described by Benjamin Rush – often referred to as the 'father of American psychiatry' – who described Fuller's ability to produce lighting-quick calculations, despite also being someone ‘who could comprehend…

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Surgical resident Dr. Shaun Murphy, played by Freddie Highmore, has autism and savant syndrome, which allows the character to zero in on medical details that aren’t apparent to other people. He also starts out with zero bedside manner and difficulties in navigating hospital protocol and delivering sensitive diagnoses. Within seconds of meeting one patient and looking at her scans, Shaun announces, “She has a sarcoma, a malignant tumor.”

 Savant syndrome Neuroscientifically Challenged

Savant syndrome is one of the true mysteries of neuroscience. Many people were first exposed to this curious phenomenon when they watched the movie Rain Man. In it, Dustin Hoffman plays a character named Raymond Babbit, who is loosely based on Kim Peek. Peek was (Peek died in 2009) a savant who had a stunningly prodigious memory and the ability to read a book in an hour, retaining virtually all of the information he took in during that short time. Peek, like most other savants, also suffered from a neurological disorder that caused him to have difficulty with more mundane aspects of daily life like getting dressed or brushing his teeth. Intellectually, he had trouble understanding abstract concepts and engaging in normal reasoning. Yet, by some accounts he read and remembered the information from over 12,000 books. Like Peek, most savants are exceptional in one or a few closely related areas, yet they suffer from a cognitive disorder that severely disrupts functioning in other areas. In most cases, a savant’s skill will involve art, music, mathematics, mechanics, spatial estimation, or calendar calculating, e.g. making rapid calculations regarding the day of the week given a particular date.

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Articles of Interest

5 amazing people with savant syndrome

When many people think of the word ‘savant’, they think of the fictional character Raymond Babbitt from the movie ‘Rain Man’. But what exactly is savant syndrome? And does the movie have any truth to it?

A genius explains

Daniel Tammet is an autistic savant. He can perform mind-boggling mathematical calculations at breakneck speeds. But unlike other savants, who can perform similar feats, Tammet can describe how he does it. He speaks seven languages and is even devising his own language. Now scientists are asking whether his exceptional abilities are the key to unlock the secrets of autism.

Autism and Savant Syndrome: The Fascinating Connection

Savant syndrome is a rare condition in which individuals display exceptional talent in one or more areas that is inconsistent with their overall level of functioning. It is more prevalent in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to other clinical populations, with approximately 50% of individuals with savant syndrome also having ASD. The prevalence of savant syndrome in the ASD population ranges from 10% to 50%.

Autism Spectrum Disorder and Savant Syndrome: A Systematic Literature Review

Savant syndrome refers to a condition in which an individual displays a special talent in one or more areas. The individual must exhibit exceptional abilities in one or more areas that are inconsistent with their overall level of functioning. The most frequently used adjectives to define savant syndrome are “rare” and “remarkable,” indicating that this is a very rare condition characterized by remarkable talent.

Eureka! When a Blow to the Head Creates a Sudden Genius

Brain injuries can sometimes reveal extraordinary talents in people. Now, savant syndrome is helping to create whole new fields of scientific discovery.

Living with savant syndrome: Learning to manage an extraordinary gift

Bullied by other children and bewildered by ordinary life, Daniel Tammet spent his early years burrowed deep inside the world of numbers. They were his companions and his solace, living, breathing beings that enveloped him with their shapes and textures and colors.

Rain Man made autistic people visible. But it also entrenched a myth

Thirty years on, the ‘autistic savant’ portrayed by Dustin Hoffman still represents most people’s idea of autism.

Savant for a Day

Snyder's theories are bolstered by the documented cases in which sudden brain damage has produced savant abilities almost overnight. He cites the case of Orlando Serrell, a 10-year-old street kid who was hit on the head and immediately began doing calendrical calculations of baffling complexity. Snyder argues that we all have Serrell's powers.

Savant Syndrome

Savant syndrome was first properly recognised by Dr. J. Langdon Down, (n.b. he also originated the term Down’s syndrome). In 1887, he coined the term "idiot savant" - meaning low intelligence, and from the French, savoir, knowing or wise, to describe someone who had "extraordinary memory but with a great defect in reasoning power." This term is now little used because of its inappropriate connotations, and the term savant syndrome has now been more or less adopted. Another term, autistic savant, is also widely used, but this can be somewhat misleading. Although there is a strong association with autism, it is certainly not the case that all savants are autistic.

Studying Acquired Savant Syndrome May Increase Understanding of Creativity

Days after a head injury, Derek Amato acquired an extraordinary talent for playing the piano. Studying the phenomenon known as acquired savant syndrome may increase our understanding of creativity.

Sudden Savant

Although most musicians spend decades honing their craft, musical genius Derek Amato never had to practice a day in his life. One day, he sat down at the piano and his fingers began to fly across the keys with ease. As an immediate musical genius, Derek is one of the few people on Earth diagnosed with Acquired Musical Savant Syndrome. Derek takes us into the inner workings of his amazing gift.

The Master Memories of Savants

Whether people acquire savant syndrome or are born with it, they exhibit a range of astounding skills. Most share one common thread: tremendous memory.

The savant syndrome: an extraordinary condition. A synopsis: past, present, future

Savant syndrome is a rare, but extraordinary, condition in which persons with serious mental disabilities, including autistic disorder, have some ‘island of genius’ which stands in marked, incongruous contrast to overall handicap. As many as one in 10 persons with autistic disorder have such remarkable abilities in varying degrees, although savant syndrome occurs in other developmental disabilities or in other types of central nervous system injury or disease as well.

What is an Autistic Savant (or Savantism)?

Savantism—that mystical, psychological phenomena that’s captured the world’s imagination ever since the movie Rain Man showcased the prodigious memory of an autistic savant. More than a fascination with the extraordinary, research about savantism could unlock useful information about nurturing genius talent associated with the neurodivergent mind.

What Makes Temple Grandin’s Brain Special?

Temple Grandin, perhaps the world’s most famous person with autism, allowed scientists to peak into her exceptional brain for the first time in order to better understand the minds of savants.

When Brain Damage Unlocks The Genius Within

Brain damage has unleashed extraordinary talents in a small group of otherwise ordinary individuals. Will science find a way for everyone to tap their inner virtuoso?