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SAVANT SYNDROME

…The Paradox of Genius

Presented By

AROGUNDADE, Tolulope Timothy

08/46ka015

Supervisor: Dr. B.U. Enaibe

SKELETON

Introduction

What is Savant Syndrome?

History

Epidemiology

Classification of Savants

Characteristics of the Savant Syndrome

Etiological Theories

You and I?

Conclusion

SAVA T

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INTRODUCTION

The human brain is one of

the most mysterious piece of

matter on earth and the

more we know about it, the

more we seem not to know... (Photo credit: slatervecchio.com)

WHAT IS THE SAVANT SYNDROME?

Savant syndrome is a rare but spectacular condition in which

persons with autism or other developmental disabilities have some

extraordinary islands of genius which stands in stark contrast to the

overall handicap. (Treffert, 2000; 2006)

HISTORY

Savant syndrome was first

properly recognised by Dr. J.

Langdon Down, (he also

originated the term Down’s

syndrome).

In 1887, he coined the term

"idiot savant"

(Down, 1887)

Gnothi Sauton in 1783 gave

the first description in a

scientific paper.

Benjamin Rush provided one

of the earliest reports in 1789.

(Scripture, 1891)

(Gnothi, 1783)

EPIDEMIOLOGY

(Saloviita et al., 2000)

1 in 10 persons with

autism

Approximately 1.4 in 1000 people with brain damage

(Treffert, 2006)

Savant syndrome can be congenital or acquired

in previously neurotypical persons after CNS injury or disease.

CLASSIFICATION OF SAVANTS

(Treffert, 2006)

Savants know things they never learned…

CONGENITAL

SAVANTS

Leslie Lemke

Leslie Lemke is a musical virtuoso.

At the age of 14 he played, flawlessly and

without hesitation, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto

No. 1 after hearing it for the first time while

watching a television programme several hours

earlier. (Treffert, 2006)

Daniel Tammett

He is a math savant with a twist.

He has autism but it’s seemingly not

active.

He’s most famous for saying the

first 22,000 digits of pi.

(Treffert, 2006)

Kim Peek

Known as a “MEGASAVANT”.

His brain was capable of

remembering almost anything it ever

processed.

It has been estimated that he

could recall the complete contents

of about 12,000 books from

memory.

(Treffert et al., 2002)

Stephen Wiltshire

Stephen is renowned for his ability

to draw a complicated landscape after

only seeing it for an instant and has

been called the “human camera”.

(Treffert, 2006)

ACQUIRED

SAVANTS

Orlando Serrell

Orlando began to exhibit his skills after being hit by

a baseball on the left side of the head at the age of

ten.

He soon came to realize that he could perform very

complicated calendar calculations and he has been able

to remember the weather of every single day since the

accident. (Treffert, 2006)

ABOUT SAVANT

SKILLS

Music

Calendar

Calculating

Mathematics Art

Mechanical/

Spatial

Prodigious

Memory

(Kehrer, 1992)

(Treffert, 2000; 2006)

Spectrum of

Savant Skills

ETIOLOGY

THEORIES

Rote memory.

Left brain injury/right brain compensation.

Waterhouse theory.

Weak central coherence theory.

Hyper-systemizing theory.

(Hermelin, 2001)

(Treffert, 2006)

(Waterhouse et al., 1996)

(Frith et al., 2006)

(Baron-Cohen, 2003)

BRAIN LATERALIZATION

The left hemisphere normally

completes its development later than

the right hemisphere and is thus

subjected to prenatal influences, some

of which can be detrimental, for a

longer period of time.

(Geschwind et al., 1987)

You & I? One of the biggest debates

going on in the field of savant

research today is whether or

not it is possible to get the

brains of normal people like us

to function like those of Kim

Peek and Daniel Tammett.

CONCLUSION

No model of brain function, including memory,

will be complete until it can account for, and

fully incorporate, the rare but spectacular

condition of savant syndrome.

(Treffert, 2006)

REFERENCES

Baron-Cohen, S. (2003). The Essential Difference: Male and Female Brains and the Truth About Autism.

New York: Basic Books.

Down JL. On Some of the Mental Affections of Childhood and Youth. London: Churchill; (1887).

Frith, U., & Happé, F. (2006). The Weak Coherence Account: Detail-focused Cognitive Style in Autism

Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(1), 5-25.

Geschwind N, Galaburda AM. Cerebral Lateralization: Biological Mechanisms, Associations, and Pathology.

Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press; (1987).

Gnothi Sauton oder Magazin der Erfahrungsseelenkunde als ein Lesebuch fur Gelehrte and Ungelehrte.

Mortiz KP, ed. Berlin: Mylius; (1783-1793).

Hermelin, B. (2001). Bright Splinters of the Mind. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

REFERENCES CONT’D

Kehrer HE. Savant capabilities of autistic persons. ACTA Paedopsychiatrica. (1992);55:151-155.

Saloviita T, Ruusila L, Ruusila U. Incidence of savant skills in Finland. Percept Mot Skills. 2000;91:120-122.

Scripture E.W. (1981) Arithmetical prodigies. Am J Psychol. 1891;4:1-59.

Treffert D. Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome. Omaha, NE: IUniverse.com; 2000.

(Originally published New York: Harper & Row; 1989.)

Treffert D, Wallace G. Islands of genius. Sci Am. (2002);286:76-85.

Treffert, D. A. (2006). Extraordinary People: Understanding savant syndrome. New York: Ballantine

Books.

Waterhouse, L., Modahl, C., & Fein, D. (1996). Neurofunctional Mechanisms in Autism. Psychological Review,

103(8), 457-489.

Thank You For

Listening