Savant syndrome is a special state of mind that makes people with a low intelligence quotient have above-average mental abilities, e.g. they can make complicated calculations in their memory or flawlessly recreate a previously heard song from memory. What are the causes of savant syndrome? What other unique abilities do savants have? How is their genius manifested?

Savant syndrome(Frenchsavant idiot ) is a special state of mind that causes a person, on the one hand, to have a low level of intelligence (IQ in the range of 40-70), cannot exist independently and is dependent on the care of other people, and on the other hand, has above-average mental abilities in a specific field, e.g. art, music, mathematics, less often technology.

Savant syndrome can occur in people with neurodevelopmental disorders such as dyslexia, speech delay, and stuttering. However, it most often appears in people with autism. It is estimated that on average every 10 autistic people are savants, which makes about 50 percent. savants are autistic people. People suffering from Asperger's Syndrome can also have brilliant skills. Above-average abilities also appear in one in two thousand. people suffering from mental retardation or damage to the central nervous system (head trauma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, epilepsy).

Sawant's syndrome - causes

Scientists have found that in people with neurodevelopmental disorders, mentally retarded or after head injuries, who have savant abilities, the so-called the front temporal lobe of the left hemisphere, ie the "logical" hemisphere. They also noticed that its damage results in greater activity of the so-called neocortex in the right hemisphere, which is a compensation for the lost functions of the left hemisphere. The right hemisphere is responsible for artistic abilities, which is why many savants display phenomenal abilities in areas such as music, art and sculpture.

Savant syndrome is more common in men than in women. Doctors suspect that this is due to testosterone, which negatively affects the growth and functions of the left hemisphere during fetal development.

Savant syndrome - symptoms. What are the unique abilities of savants?

All savants have perfectmemory that allows them to remember a lot of information. It is an integral part of this syndrome. In addition, savants have isolated areas of special skills (the so-called islands of genius) in the following areas:

  • mathematics - savants can make complicated calculations in their memory, measure time precisely, and when they know someone's date of birth, they can tell what day of the week it was, and what day of the week it will be when this person turns e.g. 65 years old. An example of such a "calendar calculator" is Kim Peek, who became an inspiration for the creators of the film "Rain Man";
  • plastics - savants can be brilliant painters and sculptors. They can not only copy someone else's works flawlessly, but also be excellent creators themselves. Examples include Richard Wawro, a Scottish painter who suffered from autism, and Alonzo Clemons, an American sculptor who became a savant after a childhood head injury. Clemons is famous for the fact that in 20 minutes he can form a faithful image of any animal he has seen for a few or several seconds, or create a sculpture of an animal after looking at a few photos;
  • language - savants learn the grammar and words of foreign languages ​​with remarkable speed and can be fluent in even several such languages. An example is the British Daniel Tammet - a savant suffering from autism who speaks 11 languages ​​fluently. In addition, savants can memorize entire books and play them back word for word without any error, but without understanding their content. It isverbal adhesion , i.e. memory without comprehension;
  • of music - savants can flawlessly recreate from memory a previously heard song, brilliantly play the piano or other musical instruments, even though they have not learned to play them before. An example is Leslie Lemke - an American suffering from cerebral palsy, who is additionally blind. When, at the age of 14, he heard a concert by Pyotr Tchaikovsky on TV, he played it by heart, even though he had never learned to play the piano before. Lemke can play several thousand songs flawlessly, including those he hears for the first time;

These abilities can appear suddenly and just as suddenly disappear, but usually the patient is characterized by them throughout his life.

Sawant's syndrome - treatment

Sawant's syndrome is not a disease and therefore cannot be treated. On the contrary - you have to care for the development of above-average abilities, because they can be a kind of therapy method, especially for people with autism. Incredible abilities can help handicapped people get out of their closed world, improve everyday functioningand improve contacts with other people. For some, extraordinary abilities are also a way of life. For example, Leslie Lemke makes a living by touring.

Category:

Neurology