| Savant Syndrome -Rote Memory - Bright Tots information on Autism and Child Development. |
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| Savant Syndrome |
Savant syndrome is a unique, but phenomenal, condition in which persons with significant mental disabilities, including
autism spectrum disorder, have an ability of genius. These gifted children, despite their often severely incapacitating
disabilities in communication, social and on occasions, intellectual development, often display extraordinary gifts or
splinter skills in one or several domains.
Savant gifts, or splinter skills, may be displayed in the following skill areas or domains: astounding memory; hyperlexia
(e.g. the exceptional ability to read, spell and write); art; music; mechanical or spatial skill; calendar calculation;
mathematical calculation; sensory sensitivity; athletic performance; and computer ability. These skills may be amazing in
comparison to the disability of autism.
As many as 1 in 10 persons with autism spectrum disorder have such impressive abilities in varying extent, although
savant syndrome occurs in other developmental disabilities or in other types of central nervous system injury or disease
as well. A new study of about 100 adults with autism shows that one third have skills that stand out, both in
comparison with their other abilities and with the skills of the general population. Savant skills are occasionally found in
people with other types of intellectual disability and in the non-disabled population, so most researchers use the term
'savant syndrome' instead of autistic savant.
'Autistic savant' means a person with autism who has a special skill. 'Savant' comes from the French word for
'knowing' and means 'a learned person'. A person with this condition was once known as an 'idiot savant', since 'idiot'
was an acceptable word for mental retardation in the late 19th century, when the phenomenon was first medically
investigated. Around 10 percent of people with autism show special or even remarkable skills. For example, a person
with autism, who may be intellectually disabled in most ways, could have an exceptional memory for numbers.
Savant Rote Memory
It has been suggested frequently that savants show exceptional rote memory. Rote memory is learning or memorization
by repetition, often without an understanding of the reasoning or relationships involved in the material that is learned.
However, rote memory alone clearly does not explain savant talents within the classical domains of music, art, and
calendar calculation, where greater flexibility in the mastery of domain specific information is essential and in fact
apparent in savants.
Implicit Learning
Implicit memory is a type of memory that is expressed through performance, rather than recognizable familiarity, such
as information acquired during skill learning, routine development, classical training, emotional learning, and practice.
Therefore, it could be that an inborn obsession with structure and predictability, as would be the case for most, if not
all, individuals with ASD, plays a major role in skill expression, or it could be due to overexposure to the material in
question, which leads to the development of awareness and knowledge of its components. Perhaps even more likely, it
could be a combination of these factors working in a range of levels depending on the individual in question but placing
importance on skill development. It’s been proposed that over learning, at least in the case of calendar calculation, may
result in implicit learning of calendar structure, facilitating the development of such skill.
Genetic Findings
Other biological means also may play an important role in savant-skill development. Certainly, there is some evidence
that savant skills have genetic influence. It seems that individuals with similar skills to savants (e.g., musicians and
artists) also display some of the unique cognitive characteristics of these individuals. To date, hereditary patterns of
savant skills have not been assessed fully through family studies, although there is a limited literature on the inheritable
possibility of savant-related skills.
Of course, environmental factors (e.g., socioeconomic factors and exposure to material within savant domains through
education and training) need to be considered and may also prove informative. Taking it a step further, it may be that
relatives of individuals with ASD (with or without savant skills) exhibit more skills within savant domains partly because
of their predisposition to demonstrate subclinical ASD traits that are associated with savant domain skills among non-
ASD gifted individuals. However, the biological methods underlying savant skill expression, particularly in ASD, remain
largely unknown and open for future investigation.
Autistic Savant Skills
The skills in the autistic savant continue to be seen within a fascinating but remarkable constant range of human abilities:
music, usually piano and almost always with perfect pitch; art, typically drawing, painting or sculpting; lightning
calculating, calendar calculating or other facility with numbers such as computing prime numbers; and mechanical
abilities or spatial skills. Unusual language talent — polyglot savant — skills have been reported but are very rare. Other
less frequently reported special skills include map memorizing, remarkable sense of direction, unusual sensory
discrimination such as enhanced sense of smell or touch, and prefect appreciation of passing time without knowledge of
a clock face. A noticeably unpredictable number of musical savants through this past century, and at the present time,
are blind and autistic, demonstrating a curiously recurrent triangle of blindness, autism and musical genius.
Around 10 percent of people with autism show special or even remarkable skills. The skills range includes:
• Splinter skills - the most common type. The person, like an obsessive collector, places certain things to
memory, such as sports trivia.
• Talented skills - the person has a more highly developed and specialized skill. For example, they may be artistic
and paint beautiful pictures, or have a memory that allows them to work out difficult mathematical calculations in their
head.
• Prodigious skills - the rarest type. It is thought that there are only about 25 autistic savants in the world who
show prodigious skills. These skills could include, for example, the ability to play an entire composition on the piano
after hearing it only once.
Specialized Skill
In all cases of savant syndrome, the skill is specific, limited and most often dependent on memory. Generally, savant
skills include:
• Music - the piano is the most popular instrument. For example, the skill may be the ability to play the piano
without being taught.
• Art - such as the ability to draw, paint or sculpt to high standards. For example, Richard Wawro is an autistic
savant who is also blind, but his crayon drawings command up to $10,000 each.
• Mathematics - for example, the ability to work out complicated sums in their head, or to calendar calculate (for
example, work out what day it was on June 1, 1732).
• Language - in rare cases, the person may be unusually gifted in languages.
• Other skills - such as knowing the time without seeing a clock, untaught mechanical skills, having an unfailing
sense of direction or the ability to place maps to memory.
The Brain's Right Hemisphere
Autistic savant behavior is so far unexplained. However, researchers think it might have something to do with the right
hemisphere of the brain.
The brain is divided into two hemispheres, left and right, bridged by a thick band of nerve fibers called the corpus
callosum. While left hemisphere skills are involved with symbolism and interpretation (such as understanding words and
body language), the skills of the right hemisphere are much more concrete and direct (such as memory).
CT and MRI scans of the brains of autistic savants suggest that the right hemisphere is compensating for damage in the
left hemisphere. It seems that the right hemisphere of an autistic savant focuses its attention on one of the five senses -
for example, if it concentrates on hearing, then the autistic savant may have a special skill in music. Research is ongoing.
Savant Skills Reinforced
It is thought that habitual memory centers of the brain take over from higher memory centers, which helps to explain
why some autistic savants are like obsessive hobbyists who do the same thing over and over.
Apart from habitual memory, other factors that may help an autistic savant to sharpen their special skill could include:
• The ability to focus and concentrate
• The desire to practice endlessly
• Positive reinforcement by family, friends and caregivers.
autism spectrum disorder, have an ability of genius. These gifted children, despite their often severely incapacitating
disabilities in communication, social and on occasions, intellectual development, often display extraordinary gifts or
splinter skills in one or several domains.
Savant gifts, or splinter skills, may be displayed in the following skill areas or domains: astounding memory; hyperlexia
(e.g. the exceptional ability to read, spell and write); art; music; mechanical or spatial skill; calendar calculation;
mathematical calculation; sensory sensitivity; athletic performance; and computer ability. These skills may be amazing in
comparison to the disability of autism.
As many as 1 in 10 persons with autism spectrum disorder have such impressive abilities in varying extent, although
savant syndrome occurs in other developmental disabilities or in other types of central nervous system injury or disease
as well. A new study of about 100 adults with autism shows that one third have skills that stand out, both in
comparison with their other abilities and with the skills of the general population. Savant skills are occasionally found in
people with other types of intellectual disability and in the non-disabled population, so most researchers use the term
'savant syndrome' instead of autistic savant.
'Autistic savant' means a person with autism who has a special skill. 'Savant' comes from the French word for
'knowing' and means 'a learned person'. A person with this condition was once known as an 'idiot savant', since 'idiot'
was an acceptable word for mental retardation in the late 19th century, when the phenomenon was first medically
investigated. Around 10 percent of people with autism show special or even remarkable skills. For example, a person
with autism, who may be intellectually disabled in most ways, could have an exceptional memory for numbers.
Savant Rote Memory
It has been suggested frequently that savants show exceptional rote memory. Rote memory is learning or memorization
by repetition, often without an understanding of the reasoning or relationships involved in the material that is learned.
However, rote memory alone clearly does not explain savant talents within the classical domains of music, art, and
calendar calculation, where greater flexibility in the mastery of domain specific information is essential and in fact
apparent in savants.
Implicit Learning
Implicit memory is a type of memory that is expressed through performance, rather than recognizable familiarity, such
as information acquired during skill learning, routine development, classical training, emotional learning, and practice.
Therefore, it could be that an inborn obsession with structure and predictability, as would be the case for most, if not
all, individuals with ASD, plays a major role in skill expression, or it could be due to overexposure to the material in
question, which leads to the development of awareness and knowledge of its components. Perhaps even more likely, it
could be a combination of these factors working in a range of levels depending on the individual in question but placing
importance on skill development. It’s been proposed that over learning, at least in the case of calendar calculation, may
result in implicit learning of calendar structure, facilitating the development of such skill.
Genetic Findings
Other biological means also may play an important role in savant-skill development. Certainly, there is some evidence
that savant skills have genetic influence. It seems that individuals with similar skills to savants (e.g., musicians and
artists) also display some of the unique cognitive characteristics of these individuals. To date, hereditary patterns of
savant skills have not been assessed fully through family studies, although there is a limited literature on the inheritable
possibility of savant-related skills.
Of course, environmental factors (e.g., socioeconomic factors and exposure to material within savant domains through
education and training) need to be considered and may also prove informative. Taking it a step further, it may be that
relatives of individuals with ASD (with or without savant skills) exhibit more skills within savant domains partly because
of their predisposition to demonstrate subclinical ASD traits that are associated with savant domain skills among non-
ASD gifted individuals. However, the biological methods underlying savant skill expression, particularly in ASD, remain
largely unknown and open for future investigation.
Autistic Savant Skills
The skills in the autistic savant continue to be seen within a fascinating but remarkable constant range of human abilities:
music, usually piano and almost always with perfect pitch; art, typically drawing, painting or sculpting; lightning
calculating, calendar calculating or other facility with numbers such as computing prime numbers; and mechanical
abilities or spatial skills. Unusual language talent — polyglot savant — skills have been reported but are very rare. Other
less frequently reported special skills include map memorizing, remarkable sense of direction, unusual sensory
discrimination such as enhanced sense of smell or touch, and prefect appreciation of passing time without knowledge of
a clock face. A noticeably unpredictable number of musical savants through this past century, and at the present time,
are blind and autistic, demonstrating a curiously recurrent triangle of blindness, autism and musical genius.
Around 10 percent of people with autism show special or even remarkable skills. The skills range includes:
• Splinter skills - the most common type. The person, like an obsessive collector, places certain things to
memory, such as sports trivia.
• Talented skills - the person has a more highly developed and specialized skill. For example, they may be artistic
and paint beautiful pictures, or have a memory that allows them to work out difficult mathematical calculations in their
head.
• Prodigious skills - the rarest type. It is thought that there are only about 25 autistic savants in the world who
show prodigious skills. These skills could include, for example, the ability to play an entire composition on the piano
after hearing it only once.
Specialized Skill
In all cases of savant syndrome, the skill is specific, limited and most often dependent on memory. Generally, savant
skills include:
• Music - the piano is the most popular instrument. For example, the skill may be the ability to play the piano
without being taught.
• Art - such as the ability to draw, paint or sculpt to high standards. For example, Richard Wawro is an autistic
savant who is also blind, but his crayon drawings command up to $10,000 each.
• Mathematics - for example, the ability to work out complicated sums in their head, or to calendar calculate (for
example, work out what day it was on June 1, 1732).
• Language - in rare cases, the person may be unusually gifted in languages.
• Other skills - such as knowing the time without seeing a clock, untaught mechanical skills, having an unfailing
sense of direction or the ability to place maps to memory.
The Brain's Right Hemisphere
Autistic savant behavior is so far unexplained. However, researchers think it might have something to do with the right
hemisphere of the brain.
The brain is divided into two hemispheres, left and right, bridged by a thick band of nerve fibers called the corpus
callosum. While left hemisphere skills are involved with symbolism and interpretation (such as understanding words and
body language), the skills of the right hemisphere are much more concrete and direct (such as memory).
CT and MRI scans of the brains of autistic savants suggest that the right hemisphere is compensating for damage in the
left hemisphere. It seems that the right hemisphere of an autistic savant focuses its attention on one of the five senses -
for example, if it concentrates on hearing, then the autistic savant may have a special skill in music. Research is ongoing.
Savant Skills Reinforced
It is thought that habitual memory centers of the brain take over from higher memory centers, which helps to explain
why some autistic savants are like obsessive hobbyists who do the same thing over and over.
Apart from habitual memory, other factors that may help an autistic savant to sharpen their special skill could include:
• The ability to focus and concentrate
• The desire to practice endlessly
• Positive reinforcement by family, friends and caregivers.
| Savant Syndrome |
| ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Copyright © 2004 Bright Tots® Inc. - Educational Toys & Resource Guide to Child Development - All rights reserved. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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