Also see more posts, articles, pages on savant abilities and learning differences
Savant abilities are part of the experience of a small proportion of people with autism, Asperger’s syndrome or other developmental disability. But extraordinary talents are also present in more or less “normal” or neurotypical people without learning differences or deficits. The movie “Rain Man” was based in part on Kim Peek who was not autistic, [...]
Scott Barry Kaufman notes, “Although their unusual abilities compel considerable attention, there are fewer than 100 known prodigious savants living at the present time.” He interviews one of these extraordinary people for his Beautiful Minds blog. Here is an excerpt: Daniel Tammet: I don’t think it serves very much to label someone. IQ is a [...]
Darold Treffert, MD explains, “Savant Syndrome is a rare, but spectacular, condition in which persons with various developmental disabilities, including Autistic Disorder, have astonishing islands of ability or brilliance that stand in stark, markedly incongruous contrast to the over-all handicap.” From his article The Savant Syndrome: Islands of Genius. Daniel Tammet , as one example, [...]
An autistic savant, Daniel Tammet can recite more than 22,000 digits of pi from memory. He believes such astounding abilities are based on an associative form of thinking and imagination, not due to some cerebral or genetic fluke. He thinks differences between savant and non-savant minds have been exaggerated, to the detriment of how most [...]
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Site author: Douglas Eby, M.A./Psychology, is a writer and researcher on the psychology of creative expression and personal growth, especially for high ability adults. He is publisher of the Talent Development Resources series of sites.
