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SAVANT SYNDROME

Morgan Jefferson

Mod 1, Honors 8th Grade

WHAT IS A SAVANT?

What does it mean?

Savant syndrome is a condition in which someone with a significant mental disability demonstrates certain abilities far in excess of average. Savant syndrome is often described as a rare but spectacular disease. There is typically only one “skill” per savant.

Where does the word "savant" come from ?

The word savant comes from the Latin language, the word translates to "to be wise".

The word

The Types

How do you become a savant?

There are two main types of ways that a person can be classified as a savant. It can either be congenital or acquired. By congenital it means that savant skills are possibly in your genetics, you are "born with it". Acquired means that you are a “first generation” savant or better known as the first savant in your family.

What are some of the main types?

Savant "skills" can be musical, artistic, mathematical, good at writing, etc.. There is no set line of skills of what a savant can do, but most are memory based. Some savants can have more than one skill but, not every savant has multiple skills. Males outnumber females by an approximate 6 : 1 ratio in Savant Syndrome.

Savants Link to Autism

Some savants have Autism, but having autism does not mean that you are a savant. About 1 in 10 people that are autistic are savants but there are other savants where they do not have autism. These incredible skills are not only limited to autism but they are linked with some type of mental disability.

Who was the first Savant?

The History

Savant syndrome is has a very long history. It dates back all the way to the 1700s. The first recorded savant was Jeddidiah Buxton. Jeddidiah Buxton was born March 20, 1707, and passed away in 1772. He passed away when he was 66 years of age. He was known for his lightning fast calculations. He also had an extraordinary memory of many things even though he had a part of his brain missing. Here is a picture of him.

Do I know any Savants?

You may have heard of a few Savants without knowing it. The two savants that I am presenting here are Kim Peek and a character from a well known show called "The Good Doctor".

Popular Savants

Kim Peek

Kim Peek

One famous Savant is Kim Peek. Kim Peek was born on November 11, 1951. He had memory and mathematical savant skills. He was very good at remembering names and dates. He was also an exceptionally fast reader and had a close to perfect photographic memory. He could read the average sized book in 1 hour and recall about 98% of the information. Kim Peek had many autism related complications in his disabilities as well. He was portrayed in a movie named “Rain man”. He was able to memorize the entire phone book up to the letter "G". He was also able to count abnormally fast.

The Phone Book Scene

Video

The Good Doctor

Another Savant that you may have heard of is a character from a show called “The Good Doctor”. In this show the main character is named Doctor Shawn Murphy. In a crisis situation at an airport he was able to save the life of a boy through his incredible Savant abilities. He was able to see the definition of the parts of the boy’s body and do immediate surgery on him before he died.

The Good Doctor

Video

Why I chose Savant Syndrome

Why I care?

I chose Savant Syndrome because it often has a link to Autism, and my younger cousin was diagnosed with Autism about a year ago. When she was younger she wasn’t able to communicate as well as a “normal” child her age would be able to. But ever since me and my family have continued to talk to her and do speech therapy with her she has been able to make great strides in her communication. She is very smart and we are lucky that she did not lose her words when she turned three like many other children with Autism.

How it connects to Human Intelligence

Human Intelligence

Savant Syndrome connects to Human Intelligence by showing that a deficiency in one area of the brain can be linked to almost a super power in another area of the brain (they call this the "Island of Genius"). This project also further broadened my understanding of the developmental changes in people’s brains.

Pictures

Pictures

Sources

Sources/Citations

Lyall, Sarah. “Living with Savant Syndrome: Learning to Manage an Extraordinary Gift.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Feb. 2007, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/19/health/19iht-savant.html.

Kaufman, Scott Barry. “Where Do Savant Skills Come From?” Scientific American Blog Network, 25 Feb. 2014, https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/where-do-savant-skills-come-from/.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Savant Syndrome.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/science/savant-syndrome.

“Savant Syndrome 2013- Myths and Realities.” Wisconsin Medical Society, https://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/professional/savant-syndrome/resources/articles/savant-syndrome-2013-myths-and-realities/.

Jedediah Buxton - Encyclopedia, https://theodora.com/encyclopedia/b2/jedediah_buxton.html.

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