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Savant Abilities in People with Autism

Lauren Craven

February 23rd, 2021

What are savant abilities?

What are

savant

abilities?

Savant abilities are well-above-average skills present in some people with cognitive disabilities. These skills can be in a variety of areas, including music, art, mathematics, calendar memorization, athletic ability, and more. These abilities are sometimes referred to as "splinter skills". These skills are typically based on behaviors that are repetitive due to the obsessive nature of those with savant abilities. This lends well to quick memorization and acquisition of ability.

Savant abilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder

According to Edan Daniel and Idan Menashe, "Approximately 50% of savant individuals have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and 10–30% of people with ASD have savant skills." People with ASD and savant abilities are referred to as "autistic savants". A study was conducted in 2020 to explore if savant skills and other autistic traits have familial connections by examining SRS scores of savant children and their parents. These autistic savants were found to have higher IQs than the non-savant participants of the study. The study found there to be no significant correlation between the SRS scores of children (both savant and non-savant) and their parents.

Savant

abilities

and ASD

Fast Facts

  • Individuals can have more than one savant ability (ex: memory of every train stop they've ever visited and exceptional artistic ability)
  • The ratio of males to females with savant abilities is 6:1 (Dr. Trevor Clark)
  • People with ASD and special abilities typically have better social skills compared to their more common counterparts with autism

Fast

facts

Musical Savant Abilities

The concept of musical prodigies is one that is not new to the world. Those with musical savant abilities (especially autistic savants) can do things such as memorize entire pieces of music, learn instruments at an exceptionally fast pace, hear pitch/intervals quicker than most non-savant/neurotypical people, and have extensive knowledge about music history/composers. For those with ASD and exceptional musical talent, their music creates a safe space where they are successful and happy. For some in the autistic community, that success and finding a place of beloning can be exceedingly difficult, so having these skills is a huge blessing. Below is a clip of Kodi Lee on America's Got Talent who had exceptional musical skills playing piano and singing as an autistic person: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAPkOxRnh4c

Musical

savant

abilities

Works Cited

Clark, D., About The Author Dr. Trevor Clark More posts by Dr. Trevor Clark, Dr. Trevor Clark More posts by Dr. Trevor Clark, & More posts by Dr. Trevor Clark. (2017, April 25). Giftedness and Autism: Savant Skill fact sheet. Retrieved February 24, 2021, from https://www.agnesian.com/blog/giftedness-and-autism-savant-skill-fact-sheet

Daniel, E., & Menashe, I. (2020, February 10). Exploring the familial role of social responsiveness differences between savant and non-savant children with autism. Retrieved February 24, 2021, from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-59209-7

Works

cited

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