1. 1
SAVANT
SYNDROME…The Paradox of Genius
PresentedBy
AROGUNDADE,TolulopeTimothy
08/46ka015
Supervisor:Dr.B.U.Enaibe

2. SKELETON
Introduction
What is Savant Syndrome?
History
Epidemiology
Classification of Savants
Characteristics of the Savant Syndrome
Etiological Theories
You and I?
Conclusion
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3. INTRODUCTION
The human brain is one of
the most mysterious piece of
matter on earth and the
more we know about it, the
more we seem not to know... (Photo credit: slatervecchio.com)

4. WHAT IS THE SAVANT SYNDROME?
Savant syndrome is a rare but spectacular condition in which
persons with autism or other developmental disabilities have some
extraordinary islands of genius which stands in stark contrast to the
overall handicap.
(Treffert, 2000; 2006)

5. HISTORY
Savant syndrome was first
properly recognised by Dr. J.
Langdon Down, (he also
originated the term Down’s
syndrome).
In 1887, he coined the term
"idiot savant"
(Down, 1887)
Gnothi Sauton in 1783 gave
the first description in a
scientific paper.
Benjamin Rush provided one
of the earliest reports in 1789.
(Scripture, 1891)
(Gnothi, 1783)

6. EPIDEMIOLOGY
(Saloviita et al., 2000)
1in 10persons with
autism
Approximately 1.4in 1000
people with brain damage
(Treffert, 2006)

7. Savant syndrome can be congenital or acquired
in previously neurotypical persons after CNS injury or disease.
CLASSIFICATION OF SAVANTS
(Treffert, 2006)
Savants know things they never learned…

8. CONGENITAL
SAVANTS

9. Leslie Lemke
Leslie Lemke is a musical virtuoso.
At the age of 14 he played, flawlessly and
without hesitation, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto
No. 1 after hearing it for the first time while
watching a television programme several hours
earlier.
(Treffert, 2006)

10. Daniel Tammett
He is a math savant with a twist.
He has autism but it’s seemingly not
active.
He’s most famous for saying the
first 22,000 digits of pi.
(Treffert, 2006)

11. Kim Peek
Known as a “MEGASAVANT”.
His brain was capable of
remembering almost anything it ever
processed.
It has been estimated that he
could recall the complete contents
of about 12,000 books from
memory.
(Treffert et al., 2002)

13. Stephen Wiltshire
Stephen is renowned for his ability
to draw a complicated landscape after
only seeing it for an instant and has
been called the “human camera”.
(Treffert, 2006)

14. ACQUIRED
SAVANTS

15. Orlando Serrell
Orlando began to exhibit his skills after being hit by
a baseball on the left side of the head at the age of
ten.
He soon came to realize that he could perform very
complicated calendar calculations and he has been able
to remember the weather of every single day since the
accident.
(Treffert, 2006)

16. ABOUT SAVANT
SKILLS

17. Music
Calendar
Calculating
MathematicsArt
Mechanical/
Spatial
Prodigious
Memory
(Kehrer, 1992)

18. (Treffert, 2000; 2006)
Spectrum of
Savant Skills

19. ETIOLOGY

20. THEORIES
Rote memory.
Left brain injury/right brain compensation.
Waterhouse theory.
Weak central coherence theory.
Hyper-systemizing theory.
(Hermelin, 2001)
(Treffert, 2006)
(Waterhouse et al., 1996)
(Frith et al., 2006)
(Baron-Cohen, 2003)

21. BRAIN LATERALIZATION
The left hemisphere normally
completes its development later than
the right hemisphere and is thus
subjected to prenatal influences, some
of which can be detrimental, for a
longer period of time.
(Geschwind et al., 1987)

22. You & I?
One of the biggest debates
going on in the field of savant
research today is whether or
not it is possible to get the
brains of normal people like us
to function like those of Kim
Peek and Daniel Tammett.

23. CONCLUSION
No model of brain function, including memory,
will be complete until it can account for, and
fully incorporate, the rare but spectacular
condition of savant syndrome.
(Treffert, 2006)

24. REFERENCES
 Baron-Cohen, S. (2003). The Essential Difference: Male and Female Brains and the Truth About Autism.
New York: Basic Books.
Down JL. On Some of the Mental Affections of Childhood and Youth. London: Churchill; (1887).
Frith, U., & Happé, F. (2006). The Weak Coherence Account: Detail-focused Cognitive Style in Autism
Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(1), 5-25.
Geschwind N, Galaburda AM. Cerebral Lateralization: Biological Mechanisms, Associations, and Pathology.
Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press; (1987).
Gnothi Sauton oder Magazin der Erfahrungsseelenkunde als ein Lesebuch fur Gelehrte and Ungelehrte.
Mortiz KP, ed. Berlin: Mylius; (1783-1793).
Hermelin, B. (2001). Bright Splinters of the Mind. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

25. REFERENCES CONT’D
Kehrer HE. Savant capabilities of autistic persons. ACTA Paedopsychiatrica. (1992);55:151-155.
Saloviita T, Ruusila L, Ruusila U. Incidence of savant skills in Finland. Percept Mot Skills. 2000;91:120-122.
Scripture E.W. (1981) Arithmetical prodigies. Am J Psychol. 1891;4:1-59.
Treffert D. Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome. Omaha, NE: IUniverse.com; 2000.
(Originally published New York: Harper & Row; 1989.)
Treffert D, Wallace G. Islands of genius. Sci Am. (2002);286:76-85.
Treffert, D. A. (2006). Extraordinary People: Understanding savant syndrome. New York: Ballantine
Books.
Waterhouse, L., Modahl, C., & Fein, D. (1996). Neurofunctional Mechanisms in Autism. Psychological Review,
103(8), 457-489.

26. Thank You For
Listening