SSM Health Matters Blog
The Application of Savant and Splinter Skills in the Autistic Population Through an Educational Curriculum
Among the underserved minority of gifted children with disabilities are a group of children referred to as autistic savants.
The Polyglot (Language) Savant
Most persons with savant syndrome have impoverished language skills as part of their basic disability, while musical, artistic, mathematical or mechanical skills flourish as particular islands of genius.
Hyperlexia
Hyperlexia— precocious reading ability in very young children—can present itself in several ways.
Prodigy and Savant Syndrome
Questions are raised continually as to what are the differences in brain mechanisms, if any, between (a) prodigies with certain musical or mathematical skills, for example; (b) persons with savant syndrome with similar skills and abilities and (c) the rest of us who function quite normally overall but lack some spectacular area of expertise.
Asperger’s Disorder and Savant Syndrome
In 1944 an Austrian pediatrician, Hans Asperger, wrote a doctoral thesis in which he described four patients with rather severe but characteristic psychiatric and social impairments who showed exceptional skill or talent disproportionate to very uneven intellectual ability.
Rain Man, the Movie
Raymond Babbitt, the main character in the movie Rain Man, has become the world’s best known savant due to Dustin Hoffman’s remarkably accurate and sensitive portrayal of Savant Syndrome in that film.