A Less Known Mind

Have you read about Kim Peekor seen a series called, The Good doctor?

Kim Peek was called a mega savant for his exceptional memory. He could read both pages of an open book at once and would retain 98 percent of the information. Since he could quickly absorb tons of information and recall it when necessary, his condition made him a living encyclopedia and a walking GPS.

Why are we reading about him? Because he had what we call a Savant Syndrome.

 What is Savant Syndrome?

Savant syndrome is a rare condition where someone with a developmental or an intellectual disability disorder shows extreme talent in one or more areas. In other words, it is a condition wherein a person with less than normal intelligence or severely limited emotional range has prodigious intellectual abilities in mathematical, musical, artistic, and mechanical areas.

Eg - performing rapid mental calculations of huge sums, having a pitch perfect voice and repairing complex mechanisms without training.

A reel life example of savant syndrome is Dr. Murphy's ability to envision solutions for his patients by visualizing the mechanisms of their illnesses.

The term savant syndrome was first used scientifically in 1789. After almost a decade, Dr. J Langdon Down used a term "idiot savant" to describe the extraordinary abilities of10 savants. The term "idiot savant" is no longer in use because of its obvious derogatory connotation. Instead we use the terms, "Savants" or "Autistic Savants" if there is comorbidity of Autism Spectrum Disorders. ‍

The relation between Savantism and Autism

When we talk about the umbrella term Autism, we often concentrate on things they can't do when we should be concentrating on their exceptional abilities.

There is an ongoing debacle regarding its prevalence rate. The most accepted notion is that one in ten people with autism have savantism.

I.e. every 10th individual diagnosed with autism has an "exceptional mind". Savantism in ASD is more common in males than females with the ratio of 7:1.

Savantism is not a kind or type of Autism. It is just more common with people diagnosed with ASD than any other neurological disorders.

 What is the basis of their extraordinary skills?

A common question arises, what makes them special and different from us? There is no one answer. There are multiple theories that try to answer this question.

1. Some psychologists believe that these seemingly extraordinary skills are because Autistic people possess a different skill set and they become masters in it. Laurent Mottron, a psychiatrist at the University of Montreal used the term, "Natural Specialists" for autistic people. He believes that since they have limited skills, when they decide to dig deeper in a skill, they become experts. According to this theory, savant skills are associated with ritualistic behaviors and circumscribed     interests.

2. Another popular hypothesis revolves around the dominance of the left or right hemisphere. Various researchers have concluded that autistic individuals have more flexible neural pathways. These pathways are compensatory unique neural connections. It is commonly believed that autistic people are left hemisphere dominant and there is substantial empirical evidence to prove this. This hypothesis further explains why certain autistic people develop exceptional artistic skills, enhanced     perceptual abilities, synesthesia and savantism.

On similar lines, savantism is an over compensatory mechanism turned on by the brain to overcome the deficits caused due to abnormalities in left hemisphere.

Just like losing one sensory faculty, such as eyesight, may prompt the brain to compensate by reallocating more neural resources to produce exceptional hearing ability. 

Can you have savant syndrome without autism?

Savant syndrome often occurs with autism. According to research, the ratio of savant syndrome in autistic kids is1 in 10. Savantism occurs without autism as well where only 1 in 1400 children with non-autistic developmental disorders are savants.

Acquired savant syndrome is also seen in some cases of dementia, stroke or a head injury.

To answer this question, yes you can have savant syndrome without autism but that is a rare occurrence.  

Savantism: Good or Bad?

It depends on how you seethe glass. Parents of autistic children are often told that they are lucky as their child possesses extraordinary skills. The reality, however, is that it doesn't necessarily make things simpler for them. Most savants have mathematical skills, extraordinary memorization skills etc. The question is how to monetize these skills?

All savants are exceptional individuals but very often it doesn't make their lives easier. Savants with exceptional music or artistic skills can monetize their skills for a better life. What happens with others? They will be famous and known but their skills cannot help them earn a living. In the end, it all depends on our perspective. Labelling it as good or bad won't do any justice.  

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