Autistic Savant Syndrome: An Introduction
The film Rainman (1988) was for many of us, an introduction to the genius that may be present in those with autism. It's the sort of story that was destined for the screen. It's the hope of all of us who have taught children with autism and certainly the hope of many parents of children with autism. The hope is that somewhere inside those beautiful eyes, deep in that inscrutable brain, way down in the soul of the child with autism, lurks the seed of genius. If only we could discover the great skill the child posesses, then we could direct all of our energies into nurturing this great gift. But, alas, most of us never discover that gift. Stories about the genius of Kim Peek (the inspiration behind Rainman) or Temple Grandin (the hero of all touched by autism) continue to nurture our hope. But, eventually, we come to the realization that the child before us may not possess such hidden genius (or at least it is so well hidden that we cannot find it). Then we read the statistics that autistic savant syndrome may affect only 10 percent of those with autism and we begin to accept reality (at least until we see the buds of genius again). In any case, autistic savant syndrome is so very interesting. I know so very little about it and even less of genius. But, thankfully, we have the benefit of some truly great minds who have prepared the following web sites with information on autistic savant syndrome. Visit them and enjoy:
Internet References on Autistic Savant Syndrome and Related Genius
Savant Syndrome: An Annotated Resource List - Your starting point for great information on autistic savant syndrome. References include videos, books, and web links.
In Search of the Rainman in All of Us by Dr. Darold Treffert - Dr. Treffert's web site with links to his articles and much more.
Kim Peek: The Real Rainman by Darold Treffert, MD - The Wisconsin Medical Society shares the story of Kim Peek, the reputed inspiration for the movie Rainman. Recently it has been reported that he does not have autism but a form of "split brain syndrome" ( I apologize if that is incorrect). In any case, he is a fantastic man.
Meet Moe Norman - Murray "Moe" Norman died recently. He was a pro golfer with what many pro golfers call "the perfect swing". He also had symptoms of autism. After his death an article on "Idiot Savants" was found in his old car - Moe had crossed out the word "idiot".
Meet Daniel Tammet - Daniel Tammet has autism and was eight or nine years old when he realized he had a special "relationship" with numbers that gave him the ability to solve math problems that amazed others. As an example, he recently recited the decimals of pi to the 22,514 digit. He also learns languages in days and created his own language: Mänti. In this New Scientist article he explains how he is able to "do the math".
Meet James Cucek - James Cucek has been playing the piano since age four and is a savant with autism. He has developed a friendship with Kim Peek, who, along with his father, Fran Peek, is helping him to obtain services for adults with autism in Canada.
Meet Tony DeBlois - Tony DeBlois was born blind, mentally retarded, and autistic, but he was also born a jazz savant. Today, he plays 20 instruments, knows 8,000 songs, and is forging a career in the music industry. His mother credits God for his birth and talents.
Meet Gilles Trehin - Gilles Trehin lives near Nice in France. He has been drawing since age five and has developed an imaginary city named Urville. His drawings are amazing, as is his imagination.
Paleolithic Art and Autism - Paul Trehin's essay on the similarity between the art of autistic savants and the prehistoric art found in caves throughout the world.
Autistic Savant - An article by Stephen M. Edelson, PhD of the Center for the Study of Autism.
"Hikari Finds His Voice" - A web site detailing the life of the severely disabled and wonderfully gifted prize-winning, Japanese composer of classical music, Hikari Oe.
Tune In To Genius - An article by Allan Snyder of the Centre for the Mind at the Australian National University in Canberra. Researchers believe that this form of genius is possible in all of us if we could just "turn off" portions of our brain that interfere with our ability to focus intensely.
On Not Being An Idiot Savant - "Idiot Savant" is the "prehistorically-correct" term that once was used to refer to the autistic savant syndrome. An interesting article on a technique you can learn to multiply multi-digit numbers.
Williams Syndrome and Savant Syndrome - Great information on Williams Syndrome, a genetic disorder that often includes symptoms of autism and may include savant skills (especially music).
The Inner Savant - Are you capable of multiplying 147,631,789 by 23,674 in your head, instantly? Physicist Allan Snyder says you probably can, based on his new theory about the origin of the extraordinary skills of autistic savants. February 2, 2002 Discover Magazine article.
Other Articles by Allan Snyder and the Centre for the Mind. A link to his web site and several articles and book reviews.
DISCLAIMER: This site is intended to provide basic information resources on Autistic Disorder. It is not intended to, nor does it, constitute medical or other advice. The author of the web site is not a medical doctor. Readers are warned not to take any action with regard to medical treatment or otherwise based on the information on this web site or links without first consulting a physician. This web site does not necessarily endorse any of the information obtained from any of the links on this page or links that other pages may lead you to. Neither does this web site promote or recommend any treatment, therapy, institution or health care plan. The information contained in this site is intended to be for your general education and information only and not for use in pursuing any treatment or course of action. Ultimately, the course of action in treating a given patient must be individualized after a thorough discussion with the patient's physician(s) and family.