"Savant" redirects here. For other uses, see Savant (disambiguation).
Medical condition
Savant syndrome
Other names
Autistic savant, savant syndrome (historical)[1]
Kim Peek, the savant who was the inspiration for the main character in the movie Rain Man
Specialty
Psychiatry, neurology
Symptoms
General mental disability with certain abilities far in excess of average[1][2]
Types
Congenital, acquired[3]
Causes
Neurodevelopmental disorder such as autism spectrum disorder, brain injury[1]
Frequency
~1 in a million people[4]
Savant syndrome (/sæˈvɑːnt,səˈvɑːnt,ˈsævənt/) is a phenomenon where someone demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one domain, such as art or mathematics, despite significant social or intellectual impairment.[1]
Those with the condition generally have a neurodevelopmental condition such as autism or have experienced a brain injury.[1] About half of cases are associated with autism, and these individuals may be known as autistic savants. [fr][1] While the condition usually becomes apparent in childhood, some cases develop later in life.[1] It is not recognized as a mental disorder within the DSM-5, as it relates to parts of the brain healing or restructuring.[5]
Savant syndrome is estimated to affect around one in a million people.[4] The condition affects more males than females, at a ratio of 6:1.[1] The first medical account of the condition was in 1783.[1] Approximately half of savants are autistic; the other half often have some form of central nervous system injury or disease.[1] It is estimated that between 0.5% up to 10% of those with autism have some form of savant abilities.[1][6][7] It is estimated that there are fewer than a hundred prodigious savants, with skills so extraordinary that they would be considered spectacular even for a non-impaired person, currently living.[1]
^ abcdefghijklTreffert DA (May 2009). "The savant syndrome: an extraordinary condition. A synopsis: past, present, future". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences. 364 (1522): 1351–7. doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0326. PMC 2677584. PMID 19528017.
^Miller LK (January 1999). "The savant syndrome: intellectual impairment and exceptional skill". Psychological Bulletin. 125 (1): 31–46. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.125.1.31. PMID 9990844.
^Hughes JR (2012). "The Savant Syndrome and Its Possible Relationship to Epilepsy". Neurodegenerative Diseases. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. Vol. 724. pp. 332–43. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-0653-2_25. ISBN 978-1-4614-0652-5. PMID 22411254.
^ abHyltenstam, Kenneth (2016). Advanced Proficiency and Exceptional Ability in Second Languages. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. p. 258. ISBN 9781614515173. Archived from the original on 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
^Sperry, Len (2015). Mental Health and Mental Disorders: An Encyclopedia of Conditions, Treatments, and Well-Being [3 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Conditions, Treatments, and Well-Being. ABC-CLIO. p. 969. ISBN 9781440803833. Archived from the original on 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
^Treffert DA. "The Autistic Savant". Wisconsin Medical Society. Archived from the original on 2019-07-13. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
^"Savant Syndrome Statistics". Health Research Funding. 2014-07-12. Archived from the original on 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
Savantsyndrome (/sæˈvɑːnt, səˈvɑːnt, ˈsævənt/) is a phenomenon where someone demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one domain, such as art or mathematics...
Jason D. Padgett is an American artist diagnosed with alleged acquired savantsyndrome. He was born in 1970 in Anchorage, Alaska. As a young man, he dropped...
brother Raymond, of whom he was unaware his whole life. Raymond has savantsyndrome and autism, and adheres to strict routines. He has superb recall, but...
autistic savant is not always appropriate for all savant cases. Only half of individuals with savantsyndrome are autistic. The other half of the savant population...
memory is also prevalent in those with savantsyndrome and mnemonists. Hyperthymesia, or hyperthymesitic syndrome, is superior autobiographical memory,...
for languages. Savantsyndrome is almost always associated with an increased memory capacity of some sort, which can, for certain savants, aid in storing...
Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's syndrome or Asperger's, formerly described a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant...
who specialized in the epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders and savantsyndrome. He lived in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He was on the staff at Agnesian...
autistic savant is an autistic person with extreme talent in one or more areas of study. Although there is a common association between savantsyndrome and...
Capgras delusion or Capgras syndrome is a psychiatric disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, another close family member...
English writer and savant. His memoir, Born on a Blue Day (2006), is about his early life with Asperger syndrome and savantsyndrome, and was named a "Best...
3 years old. This is only the case for 5–8% of preschool children. Savantsyndrome Nonverbal autism Language delay § Consequences of language delay Camarata...
reproduction, which in exceptional cases are considered a part of the savantsyndrome. One study describes how some autistic people show superior skills...
case of Savantsyndrome, in which people acquire savant-like skills in art, music and/or mathematics due to a brain injury. Fagerberg's savant case is...
Factitious disorder imposed on self, also known as Munchausen syndrome, is a factitious disorder in which those affected feign or induce disease, illness...
decreased state of consciousness. The syndrome has also been called nonsense syndrome, balderdash syndrome, syndrome of approximate answers, hysterical pseudodementia...
to artificially low recognition of the diagnosis. However, false memory syndrome per se is not regarded by mental health experts as a valid diagnosis, and...
illness by carers (FII), and first named as Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP) after Munchausen syndrome, is a mental health disorder in which a caregiver...
investigate Kim's savant abilities. A 2008 study concluded that Peek probably had FG syndrome, a rare X chromosome-linked genetic syndrome that causes physical...
1023/A:1005596502855. PMID 11055459. S2CID 16706630. Treffert DA (May 2009). "The savantsyndrome: an extraordinary condition. A synopsis: past, present, future". Philosophical...
specifically to the anterior portion of the left temporal lobe can cause savantsyndrome. Pick's disease, also known as frontotemporal amnesia, is caused by...
Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, still includes somatization syndrome. In the DSM-5 the disorder has been renamed somatic symptom disorder (SSD)...
Catatonia is a complex neuropsychiatric behavioral syndrome that is characterized by abnormal movements, immobility, abnormal behaviors, and withdrawal...
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