Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Autism and Savant Syndrome




You need to find a source that talks about the link between Autism and Savant syndrome. You need to site your source and use it to answer the following questions. Your article/source does not have to answer all of them, but use your source to answer a few of them. You must answer all questions to receive full credit.

  • What is autism. 
  • What is savant syndrome 
  • What is the link between the two and why do researchers/scientist think it exists. This is where your article will help you. 
  • Find an example of an autistic-savant and tell what his/her special quality is is and give some background info on when they where diagnosed with Autism and how their gift came about.   
  • You cannot use Stephen Wiltshire.

26 comments:

  1. http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1805

    http://bestyoucanbe.blogspot.com/2009/04/link-between-autism-and-extraordinary.html

    http://www.neatorama.com/2008/09/05/10-most-fascinating-savants-in-the-world/

    Autism is a neuro-development disorder that is characterized by social impairments and communication difficulties. Savant Syndrome is a rare condition in which people with development delays,such as autism, show profound characteristics and prodigious capacities. Scientists believe that the link between autism and savant syndrome have to do with three things. impairments in interactions, communication, and repetitive behaviors. Researchers believe that the first two things cause people to have savant syndrome. Autistic people will focus on something for hours such as music. Simon Cohen believes that hyper-systematising and hyper attention cause savant syndrome. They believe the third thing causes some autistic people to not have savant syndrome. Autistic people have the inability to alter the focus of their attention. They put all their attention into one thing. Savant abilities are related to visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and taste. These are developed in the right part of the brain in replace of the left part of the brain. These senses cause the left side of the brain to have a loss of skills. The talents come from the right side of the brain. The left side of the brain show language and things that are sequential and logical. The lack of these things causes autism. According to studies by scientists, savant syndrome is caused by damage to the left central nervous system. There is higher memory in the right brain, which causes autistic people to have more memory in images.

    Kim Peek- He was born with brain damage. He had severe developmental disabilities. He has difficulty with walking and motor skills. His IQ is below normal. He is a savant because he is able to read 12,000 books and remember all of them. He is able to read two pages at once. His left eye on the left page and the right eye on the right page. He is able to say facts from history and all the way to sports. He also is able to remember every piece of music he hears. The doctors told his father that Kim wouldn't even be able to walk. His father did not believe the doctor. Today Kim and his father travel across the world. A movie about Kim also came out. Traveling across the world made Kim a more confident person.

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  2. 1st article: http://www.economist.com/node/13489714
    2nd article: http://www.tribunact.com/news/2010-11-24/News/Musical_genius_uses_his_talent_to_bring_a_message_.html

    In an article from The Economist, entitled “Genius locus,” the connection between autism and Savant’s Syndrome is established. To begin, the article points out that Autism is a condition where an individual suffers from impairments in social interaction with other people, including a defect in communication. For autism to be diagnosed, a person must display this condition in restrictive and repetitive behaviors and interests. Savant’s Syndrome is a condition where people who suffer delays in brain development or brain injury show a rare mental capacity to retain extraordinary amounts of information or an incredible ability in some area. The article reports that as many as thirty percent of autistic people have Savant-like abilities in areas such as calculation or music, and that many of these people have poor communication skills and express themselves in art or science because they cannot socially interact. Originally, scientists thought the link between Autism and Savant’s Syndrome was caused by the attempts of autistic people to communicate their thoughts because of their lack of verbal communication and social interaction. The article reports, however, that recent reports have led to the connection being primarily because of the restrictive and repetitive behaviors and interests that autistic people have. They have such an intense focus and hyper-attention to things that they practice whatever they are interested in without stopping, and this is what leads them to become Savant-types. Even though they may be lacking in the ability to speak to others clearly, this is not the primary reason for their incredible abilities. It is the repetition that scientists believe drives their talents. Some of them will not give up on mathematical problems, for instance; and for others, it might be learning a musical piece. Simon Baron-Cohen of Cambridge University tested autistic and non-autistic people in a Freiburg visual acuity and contrast test asking for participants to identify the gap in the letter “c” in four different orientations, and the autistic participants scored higher because of their intense care for detail.
    In the second article, by Emanuela P. Lima, I read about Tony DeBlois, a blind autistic Savant. He was born blind and diagnosed with autism at age five. He started playing the piano at the age of two and was admitted to the summer scholarship program of Berklee School of Music in Boston at the age of fifteen, a great distinction for him being blind and autistic. The faculty was so impressed by his musical abilities that they admitted him to the school full time, and he graduated in 1996 with the honor of magna cum laude. He plays twenty-two instruments and knows 8,000 pieces of music by memory. He can also sing in eleven languages.

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  3. http://www.neatorama.com/2008/09/05/10-most-fascinating-savants-in-the-world/
    http://www.economist.com/node/13489714
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18646626

    Doctor Leo Kanner’s definition of autism is children who show some of the following: being mute or the struggle to communicate effectively, to be in “their own world”, and to stare at people but not truly focusing on them. Another way to define autism is, a range of complex neurodevelopment disorder. Autism can be characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. Savant Syndrome has been linked to Autism since 50% of savants are also Autistic. Savant Syndrome is a rare condition in which people with developmental delays of the brain, and/or brain injuries, demonstrate profound and prodigious capacities and/or abilities far in advance of those that are considered normal. The people who have savant syndrome have a talent or special skill that was either genetics or inborn, but also can be acquired later in childhood, or even in adulthood. Even today nobody knows what causes a child to be autistic but scientists are making correlations between autism and savant syndrome. Some people believe the link to Autism and Savant Syndrome is the fact that when someone is autistic they do not communicate well, they are repetitive, and do not interact well with other; this leads scientist to believe that since the person is always focused on one major topic such as science, they can exceed “normal” abilities in that field. When someone is focused on one topic it is called hyper attention and people who have savant syndrome can focus on their “thing” for hours on end. People with autism also pay very close attention to detail which also has been linked to savant syndrome, since the person cannot let a math problem go unsolved or a piano song unlearned, it can cause that gift to become extraordinary.
    Leslie Lemke is a boy who had to have his eyes removed when he was born, he had severe birth defects, his mother abandoned him, and he was given to a nurse at 6 months old who already had five children of her own. Leslie could not walk until age fifteen and he never talked. One night while his parents were in bed they heard the piano. They heard Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concert No. 1 and thought they left the television on; however, they came to see that it was Leslie playing the piano. Leslie had heard the song once before on the TV and played it perfectly from memory. Leslie is able to hear any song only once and play it from memory without any errors. Leslie Lemke went on to tour the world playing concerts for people until he began to acquire heath issues.

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  4. http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1805
    http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
    http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/savant_syndrome/savant_profiles/alonzo_clemons

    Autism is a group of complex brain development disorders. These disorders are shown by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and repetitve behaviours. It can be associated with intellectual disability, difficulty in motor coordination and attention, and physical health issues.
    Some autistic people have a Sydrome known as Savant Sydrome. Savant Syndrome is a rare condition that causes people with developmental disorders to excel in certain areas of life. Mainly 6 areas: calendar calculating, lightning calculating/mathematics, art, music, mechanical abilities, and spatial skills. In all cases, the skill is specific and usually relys on the memory. Approximately 10% of people with autism have these abilities.
    The article reports that scientists have come up with many theories why these two are linked, but no one theory is certain. A popular theory is that an autistic person has an inability to alter the focus of their attention, therefore they direct most of their attention on one activity. The article also stated that since their brain won't let them express themselves in a normal way, these talents become their outlet to self-expression.
    A person who is an example of this extraordinary syndrome would be Alonzo Clemons, an American sculptor. When he was three years old, he had a brain injury, which left him with a severe intellectual disability. This disability left him unable to do normal activities people do everyday, like reading, writing, or tying his shoes. Although he couldn't do these things, he gained the amazing ability to see a quick image of an animal, and in less than 20 minutes, sculpt a perfect replica. Perfect in every detail.

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  6. http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
    http://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/193_Savant_Syndrome.pdf
    http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-autistic-savant.htm
    http://www.neatorama.com/2008/09/05/10-most-fascinating-savants-in-the-world/

    Autism is a complex development disability of the brain that can occur before or during the first three years of a child’s life. Some characteristics are difficulties in social interaction, verbal/nonverbal communication (trouble with speaking), and restricted, repetitive, and stereotypical behavior. Common diagnosed symptoms of autism are failure to make eye contact, blank stares, and repetitive movements. This is also very common with males since they are four times more likely to have it. Savant Syndrome is a rare condition where people with developmental disorders have remarkable talents/abilities that contrast their mental disabilities. People with this syndrome show special talents for various things such as music, mechanics, math, and arts that are linked with extraordinary memory skills. Autism and Savant Syndrome are often linked together because 50% of people with autism are savants. An autistic savant is a person who suffers from autism, but compensates for the condition by exhibiting some kind of extraordinary talent. Many scientists think that their talents come from a specialized capacity for memory in their brain. Savants are able to recall details with little difficulty because of their autism. They can mimic things over and over after only being exposed to what they’ve heard for a short time.
    Daniel Tammet is a 29 year-old man who is a highly functioning autistic savant that is exceptional with mathematical and language abilities. Although he has a brain disorder and has a rare form of synesthsia, he can see each integers up to 10,000 as having their own unique shape, color, texture, and feel. According to Daniel, numbers are special to him. He first became famous when he recited up to 22,514 decimal places of Pi, all from memory, to raise funds for the National Society of Epilepsy. It is easy for him to “see” the result of a math calculation and “sense” whether a number is prime. This intelligent man can speak up to 11 languages and, in 2007, he was challenged by the Channel Five documentary to learn the Icelandic language in a week. Exactly a week later, he passed the challenge and was interviewed on Icelandic television. At the age of 4, he was diagnosed with epilepsy and autism which brought about his savant syndrome. Although he appears normal with no extreme signs of his disabilities, he pushed himself to learn how to talk and behave around people to be able to interact with them. Daniel Tammet is different from all other savants in the world because he can actually tell us how he does what he does, which makes him valuable to scientists trying to fully understand the savant syndrome.

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  7. http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1805
    http://autism.emedtv.com/autism-spectrum-disorders/autism-spectrum-disorder-symptoms.html
    http://www.neatorama.com/2008/09/05/10-most-fascinating-savants-in-the-world/

    Autism is where people are impaired in social skills and having difficulties in communication. Savant Syndrome is where an individual is delayed in socialization and communication,just like autism, but is remarkably intelligent in a specific area. Some syndromes of autism are avoiding eye-contact, not noticing when people try to talk to them, not knowing how to talk to people, and in severe cases, head-banging. In the autistic brain, the five senses are created on the right side of the brain, therefore the obsession of one of the senses shows loss of skill in the left side of the brain, making a talent become a form of self-expression. This syndrome has been the subject of interest for scientist. One doctor says, "The significance of the savant syndrome lies in our inability to explain it. The savants stand as a clear reminder of our ignorance about ourselves, especially how our brains function" -Dr. Darold Treffert. The cause of autism is not really known. There are some theories about autism. For example, there were differences in an autistic brain and a non-autistic brain, like hypoplasia where certain parts of the brain was reduce in size. Recent studies show that the most likely cause of Savant Syndrome is damage to the left central nervous system, and that the right brain and lower memory structures must make up for it. This shows that males are more likely to have autism than females because testosterone is released, "which is neurotoxic particularly to the left brain, as it takes longer to develop than the right brain."

    Daniel Tammet is a twenty nine year old man and was born on January 31, 1979. As a small child, he would have severe seizures. He was diagnosed with high functioning autistic savant syndrome in 2004. He has been doing huge calculations since he was four years old. He sees shapes,patterns, textures, flashes of light and other things for numbers, so when he has to answer something, he sees it as a picture instead of numbers and then turns it into numbers. His mind happens to be doing math without having to think about it. He broke the European record for saying pi(3.14...so on) in 5 hours and 9 minutes from memory without error to the 22,514 decimal place. He knows 11 languages and learned Icelandic in just one week then had a interview speaking in Icelandic.

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  8. http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1805

    The article I have found talks about a boy who has savant syndrome. Savant syndrome is a rare condition in which people with development delays of the brain and or a brain injury demonstrate profound and prodigious capacities and/ or abilities far in excess of those considered normal. Another type of disability that is similar to savant syndrome is autism. Autism is a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviors. These two disabilities are similar in the way that 50% of kids who have savant syndrome are autistic. This boy’s gift is that when he hears someone play the piano next to him he can replay it even if it is his first time hearing those notes. When this boy is not playing he rocks back and forth, has a unemotional face, and doesn’t respond to the people around him. But the cool thing is that as soon as he starts playing those symptoms go away. Scientist and researchers do not know exactly how autism and savant syndrome exists but they think it may have to do with genetics, abnormal levels of serotonin, or irregular brain damage.

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  9. http://www.autisticsociety.org/news/article/sid=163.html
    http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/autism/
    http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Autistic_savant
    http://www.economist.com/node/13489714
    http://abilitymagazine.com/Brittany_Maier.html

    Autism is a complex disorder of brain development. A person with autism may have difficulty communicating verbally and nonverbally. They may also have repetitive behaviors and trouble with social interactions.
    Savant syndrome is a rare condition in someone who has cognitive or developmental disabilities, who also has highly advanced intellectual gifts in one area. A person with savant syndrome may have trouble understanding other people or have trouble with social skills.
    An autistic-savant is a person who is autistic and who also has an outstanding skill, such as music, art, math, or language. Researchers indicate that about 28 per cent of people with autism also possess savant skills.
    Current researchers, such as Francesca Happe, believe that childhood talents in areas such as art and music are often associated with restrictive and repetitive behaviors that are characteristic of autistic children.
    Brittany Maier is a blind autistic-savant. She is considered one of the most gifted savant pianists in the world. As a baby, Brittany learned to crawl so she could be near the stereo speakers when her parents were playing music. By age one, Brittany’s parents noticed that music seemed to soothe her. By the time she was six, Brittany was playing songs on a toy piano that she had heard on children’s music tapes and now at age 15, she can play thousands of songs. Brittany was diagnosed as autistic at age six. Although she can’t talk well, Brittany can sing. She has perfect pitch and amazing recall, and she has released her first CD.

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  10. http://speechtherapy.ygoy.com/2010/09/23/savant-syndrome-and-autism/
    http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1805
    http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/savant_syndrome/savant_profiles/ellen
    Autism is a range of neurodevelopment disorders that are shown through social impairments, verbal and nonverbal communication restrictions and repetitive/stereotyped patterns or behaviors. People with this disorder normally have slower learning developments and are very kept to themselves. Change can frustrate them and when they become frustrated they have a tendency to run away or get angry due to their inability to express themselves they way they want to. One out of every 88 children develops autism. Some repetitive movements, or stimming, that they might do are things such as rocking back and forth, flailing their arms, or rubbing their head. The cause is currently unknown but it is thought to have environmental and genetic contributions.
    Savant Syndrome is a rare condition when a person has profound abilities (in art, music, science, math etc) that are far above those of people considered normal. There is coalition between the two, but autism is not the cause of savant syndrome. Over 50% of savants are autistic and it is six times more likely to happen to men than to women. Normally, an autistic persons intelligence levels are lower than average but a savant’s can be over 100. The cause of this syndrome is thought to be damage to the CNS and memory structures that the right side of the brain must compensate for. The damage could be cause by prenatal release of testosterone, thus supporting the likelihood of males getting it more often.
    Ellen Boudreax is a blind autistic savant with three unique abilities. She can play any song after only hearing it once without any mistakes; she remembers every song she has ever heard. Ellen began displaying this musical ability as early as 6 months old when she would hum the tunes that her toys would play. Also even though she is blind, Ellen never runs into things when walking. She uses little chirping sounds (similar to echo location) to find her way around. Ellen is blind due to being born prematurely. And lastly, she has a constant internal clock going to where she knows exactly what time it is without ever having to look at a clock.

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  11. http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1805
    http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Autistic_savant
    http://www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/autism-and-genes.html
    Autism is a developmental disorder. It appears within the first three years of life. It affects the brain development of social and communication skills. It is also characterized by restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. About 1 in 88 percent of people are diagnosed with autism, and more boys than girls. Savant Syndrome is when people have "development delays" or brain injury, and demonstrate profound and prodigious capacities or abilities far in excess of those considered normal. An autistic savant is a person with autism that has an unusual but outstanding gift of knowledge, that is clearly above their normal capabilities. Around 10 percent of autistic people are considered savants. Researchers have a feeling that this syndrome might have to do with the right hemisphere of the brain. They conclude that the right hemisphere is compensating for the lack of skill in the left hemisphere of the brain. It is overall unclear where autism comes from, but scientists believe the underlying cause is genetic. Most people with autism come from a family with many autistic people, rather than a family without autism. They also believe it is the result of many different genes reacting with one another. Also, researchers found that 40 percent of people with autism have a change in their gene linkage, and they think this might be one factor leading to autism.
    Richard Wawro was born on April 14, 1952, and was diagnosed as a "retarded child". As a toddler, he would drive pictures on a chalkboard. At age 6, his mother took him to a woman named Molly Leishman, who was known for taking on children said to be too difficult. She noticed his incredible first picture, and claims that what she saw was "magic". He needed surgery for cataracts in both eyes, and was also unable to speak normal until age 11. A year later, Richard was noticed by a Professor of a school in London. He was amazed at the astounding and unusual oil wax paintings produced by Wawro. Wawro is best known for paintings of Lady Thatcher and the pope John Paul II, and is also recognized as one of only 25 prodigious savants in the world.

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  12. http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1805
    http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
    http://www.neatorama.com/2008/09/05/10-most-fascinating-savants-in-the-world/


    What is Autism? Autism is a brain disorder where the communication skills lack, social skills are limited, and reoccurring behaviors are present. Signs of Autism are noticed in the early stages of a child’s life, they sometimes wont answer to their name, might act like a normal child and progress as one then slowly start to digress. And as they grow older require constant supervision, many therapy sessions and patients as well as lots of love.
    What is savant syndrome? Savant syndrome is almost as if a child with autism is a genius. Rather is a genius. Like autism, savant syndrome is the developmental delays of communication, motor skills and fixated routines. Savant although is where the child has one thing that is like an outlet for them, something that they enjoy and is calming for them.
    The connection between the two is unknown on the neurological level as of today, but the lack of communication and constant movement, as well as the set routine shows that the connection is there but how on one side of the fence you have a child who has to be constantly looked after and can not communicate and on the other side you have a child who could be the next piano prodigy or the next scientist to cure cancer.
    Leslie Lemke is a high functioning autistic with savant syndrome. As a baby his eyes were removed from an illness. As he grew up he had to be force fed to learn how to swallow, then was strapped to his adoptive mother to teach him how to walk. By the time he was 16 he could barley walk and did not talk, his adoptive parents purchased a piano, and every now an then when she walked by his mother would hit a few keys, and after a few times one night they woke to the sound of music playing. They had no idea who was playing or if they had left the TV on, when they came to the piano, they saw Leslie playing and playing classical music. Not a day in his life had he touched the piano until that night.

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  13. Autism is a "group of neurodevelopmental disorders known as pervasive developmental disorders, which are characterized by impaired communication, impaired social interaction, and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviors or interests".
    Savant syndrome is best described as "a rare condition in which people with neurodevelopmental disorders, notably autism spectrum disorders, and/or brain injuries, demonstrate profound and prodigious capacities and/or abilities far in excess of what would be considered normal".
    Most people put autism and savant syndrome to be basically the same thing. Well, they're not. A person with Savant lacks the same social skills as a person with Autism but has usually one incredible skill. Researchers believe that 50% of people with Savant are autistic, and the other 50% are developmental disabilities and CNS injuries.
    I found an article on Daniel Tammet, an autistic savant who has a remarkable ability or compulsion with numbers. As a young boy Daniel had a severe epileptic seizure. Being the oldest of 9 kids he feels his family somewhat forced him to adapt with his autism. When he was younger he had stimming which in his case were hand flapping when he was excited, and pull at his fingers or lips when he felt anxious or angry. As he grew older he was realized for being one of the rare people with this ability, noted that none of them are the same. On march 14, 2004 Daniel recited pi, all 22,514 decimal places in 5 hours 9 minutes and 24 seconds. After that California Center For Brain Study tested him and were pleasantly surprised at how well he interacted with people. His last accomplishment to society was when he wrote his memoir "Born On A Blue Day", getting international attention.

    http://ask.healthline.com/health/autism
    http://www.psy.dmu.ac.uk/drhiles/Savant%20Syndrome.htm
    http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Autistic_savant

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  14. http://www.autism.com/index.php/understanding_savants
    http://www.autismtoday.com/articles/SavantSyndrome.htm
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002494/
    http://www.psy.dmu.ac.uk/drhiles/Savant%20Syndrome.htm
    http://www.wawro.net/biography.html
    Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. This disorder is linked to abnormal biology and chemistry in the brain. Although this is a very active area of research, the cause is unknown and many scientists believe we will never know. Researchers conclude that there could be many factors that cause autism. Some people think that vaccinations cause it. There is a small amount of Mercury, called thimerosal, which is a common preservative in multidose vaccines that is thought to be a cause. The American Academy of Pediatrics and The Institute of Medicine say that no vaccine or component of any vaccine is a cause of this disorder. They conclude that the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks. After the concerns of the risk of autism, vaccines are available in single doses without the added thimerosal. A major sign of autism is regression. Children from the age of 1 to 2 that no longer possess the ability to speak or play should be checked for autism. Another symptom is Stimming, or self-stimulation. This is repetitive body movement such as hand flapping. People with autism can range from low functioning to very high functioning people.
    Savant Syndrome is a neurological disorder where people with disorders such as Autism or a brain injury demonstrate profound talents not found in the average person. The first person to properly diagnose Savant Syndrome was Dr. J. Langdon Down. He coined the term “idiot savant” which literally means low intelligence. The term has been discarded today and these people are now called “autistic savants”. Not every savant has autism though. Only about 50% of savants also have autism. This syndrome is very rare and people with it possess amazing talents. These talents fall into three categories. Splinter Skills, Talented Savants and Prodigious Savants. Savants with Splinter Skills have specific skills that stand out from the rest of their abilities. Talented Savants have high functioning ability despite their disability. Prodigious Savants are the rarest. These people have gifts that would stand out even with a non-disabled person. This category of savants has had less than 100 cases reported in the past 100 years.
    Because only 50% of savants also have autism is it hard to find a link. Not every savant has autism and not every person with autism is a savant. This issue is being thoroughly researched and scientists hope to find a link.
    Richard Wawro was born in Scotland in 1952. His odd behavior such as, walking in circles, withdrawal, and striking a single piano key for hours led his parents to have him examined. At the age of 3, Wawro was diagnosed as moderately to severely mentally retarded. He was later diagnosed as an autistic savant. Because of this, he didn’t actually begin to speak until the age of 11. When he was 3 he drew small images all over a chalkboard. At the age of 6 he was introduced into a Children’s Center and began to draw with crayons. He showed great talent and even Pope John Paul II owned some of his artwork . Wawro remembered exactly when and where he drew every picture. He had an amazing memory but when recreating and image, he added his own personal touches. After a battle with cancer, Wawro passed in 2006 at the age of 54.

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  15. http://www.autismtoday.com/articles/SavantSyndrome.htm

    http://special-needs.families.com/blog/the-autistic-savant-when-a-disabled-child-has-extraordinary-gifts

    http://www.wawro.net/



    Autism is a developmental disorder. It appears within the first three years of life and it affects the brain development of social and communication skills. Autism really makes it hard for the victim to live a normal life because of how hard it makes it for them to socialize. It disables them from really knowing what's going on and how to react normally in situations. However, in rare cases, some autism patients have what is called Savant Syndrome. This rare condition basically means that the person with the disability has crazy abilities. These people become like prodigies at certain things that they enjoy doing. They become so good it's almost scary because of how abnormally good they are.
    Savant Syndrome is very poorly understood. One hypothesis basically states that the brain is separated into 2 parts left and right. So because the one side of the brain is damaged, the autistic person's brain tries to compensate for the insufficiency of the other side of the brain.
    Richard Wawro was born autistic. At the age of 3 his doctors said that he was mentally retarded. Wawro never was able to say anything special until he was 11 years old. However, as a child his teachers would give him crayons, and that is where he would shine. His ability to draw was jaw-dropping and his teachers noticed. At age 12, an art professor proclaimed him as a gifted child. Now in the present, Wawro is a professional artist and his work sells in the $10,000 range. Even through through all of this success, Wawro caught cancer and sadly passed away 2006 at the age of 54.

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  16. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    www.brainskills.co.uk>learning disabilities
    www.neatromatic.com/10mostfastinating-savants-in-the-world


    Autism is a mental disorder in the brain that begins to show between 3 and 6 years old. This is a physical condition that affects the biology and chemistry in the brain, which can only occur in a brain that is not yet fully developed. Kids with autism usually have a hard time expressing themselves and tend to not focus on simple things such as their names. They have a hard time with difficult concepts as well as speech development. These children usually do not make eye contact and are very withdrawn from other people. The difficult concepts may be things such as school subjects to social situations and conversations with others their age. Most signs of autism are not distinct until after age two when the child begins to digress in activity as well as speech. These children are usually very sensitive to light, sound, touch, and smell due to the biological and chemical abnormalities in their brains. Children with autism tend to obtain epilepsy by adulthood because of all of the abnormal activity in the brain. This abnormal activity can cause seizures and lead to even more issues in the brain. Autism has many treatment options mostly therapy sessions and doctor tests. Savant’s syndrome is when a child diagnosed with a developmental disorder has an amazing ability and seems relatively normal. Most of the savants in the world are autistic. Some researchers believe that the major cause for savant syndrome is damage to the left side of the brain with the right side compensating. The savant that stuck out to me was Ellen Boudreaux because of her incredible story. She is not only an autistic savant but is completely blind. She can play any song after hearing it just one time and has such a repertoire of songs that media people tired to ask her to play a song they believe she wouldn’t know but she knew them all. She is also able to walk around perfectly without running into things. As Ellen walks she makes a chirping sound that acts sort of as human sonar and she never runs into anything. The last thing she is able to do is that she can tell exactly what time of day it is at any time of the day without ever seeing a clock before. These are just some of the amazing abilities that people’s brains can adapt to after a traumatic brain injury or a mental disorder.

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  18. Autism is a complex disorder of brain development. The disorders lead to problems with social interaction, issues with communication (verbal and nonverbal), and also issues with behavior. Savant Syndrome is a condition where a person has many developmental disorders, including autistic disorder, and has a significant ability, like talent or intelligence, that surpass ordinary levels. People can be born with Savant Syndrome, but it can also develop later in life as well. 10% of people with the autistic disorder have savant syndrome. It can be likely for savant syndrome to occur as a symptom to someone with autism, but not all savants are autistics.
    Daniel Tammet, a 26 year old man from England, is an autistic savant with both autism and synethesia. He has many incredible abilities. In just seven days he was able to learn the Icelandic, which is one of the most difficult languages in the world. When he was about eight years old he realized he had a “special relationship” with numbers. He overcame many of his disabilities. Learning how to walk was a challenge for him. He still l faces everyday challenges. For example, he doesn’t like going to the beach by his house because it has too many pebbles for him to count. Since he can’t count them all he says it makes him feel uncomfortable.

    http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Health/story?id=830166&page=1

    http://www.autisticsociety.org/news/article/sid=163.html

    http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism

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  19. Autism is simply defined as a developmental disorder that hinders the social and interactive skills of its hosts. Sufferers of autism see the world in a much different way due to neurological malfunctions within the brain, which prevents it from functioning properly. Savant Syndrome is a remarkable condition that allows people with certain developmental disorders, such as autism, to also have incredible talents and abilities. These individuals are known medically as “Savants” and are usually gifted in the field of music, mechanics, math, or art. Savants are also capable of maintaining an extraordinary long-term memory.
    Although there are many theories in regards to the link between autism and savant syndrome, the truth has yet to be factually determined. Researchers and scientists theorize that savant syndrome can indeed be caused by autism. It is believed that savants may gain their talents due to the obsessive nature that autism causes. Researchers and scientists conclude that if someone that is autistic, or any person for that matter, focuses on a specific exercise for hours upon end, it is not illogical that the person will become an expert in that area. This however is still only a medicinal theory and is not true for all of the diagnosed cases. Surprisingly, not all savants have autism and not all autistic sufferers develop savant syndrome. Although it is possible and does occur, a specific link between the two conditions is not incredibly common in the medical field.
    In 1950, two year old Temple Grandin was diagnosed with a severe form of autism that prohibited her from being able to speak until she was three and a half years old. Due to her developmental disorder, doctors suggested that Grandin be institutionalized, but her mother and father declined. Instead, Grandin was placed in an extremely structured nursery where she received the assistance she needed. As Grandin aged into her teen years, she befriended several very supportive mentors within the school system who discovered her incredible talent of detailed memorization and her ability to think visually. Grandin went on to transcend her developmental hindrances by authoring her very own book and becoming an extremely successful livestock facility designer. Grandin attributes all of the success and her acquired talents to her autism.

    http://www.autisticsociety.org/news/article/sid=163.html

    http://speechtherapy.ygoy.com/2010/09/23/savant-syndrome- and-autism/

    http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism

    http://www.psy.dmu.ac.uk/drhiles/Savant%20Syndrome.htm

    http://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/193_Savant_Syndrome.pdf

    http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/savant_syndrome/savant_profiles/temple_grandin

    http://www.templegrandin.com/

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  20. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm

    http://www.belleville.k12.wi.us/bhs/health/mentalhealth/savant_autism.htm

    http://autism.lovetoknow.com/Autistic_Savant

    http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/savant_syndrome/savant_profiles/leslie_lemke

    Autism is a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders that occur usually at a young age. Most people that have autism are unable to interact with other people and struggle expressing themselves. Those people have many social disorders and, in some cases, are unable to function independently. Savants syndrome is a certain condition that occurs more commonly with autistic people, although it is very rare. It is when one with autism has a very unique gift that separates them from others, sometimes causing them to be the greatest person in the world at whatever gift they have. It is separate from the limitations of autism although there must be some sort of connection. It is unclear why there is such a strong connection between Autism and Savants, although many scientists have tried to figure it out. Some believe that since those that are autistic have a keen ability to focus on one thing much more than the average person then Savants can be a possible result. Another theory is that those with Autism have a stronger right brain and it may compensate for their damaged left brain, as a result, making things done with the right brain a much higher quality and a step above normal people. One study found that all people may be capable of Savants but it is just lying dormant in the brain, those with autism have a way to tap into that part of the brain. One famous Autistic Savant is Leslie Lemke. He was given to fifty two year old Mary Lemke Adopted Leslie when he was a baby; he had a premature birth and major brain damage. It was clear he had Autism due to his refusal to interact at all; he couldn’t stand till he was 12 and didn’t learn to walk until 15. Finally, when he was sixteen something happened to Leslie, His adopted mother would always sing to him around the house and left a piano in his room and play simple notes for him, and one night, he just started playing the piano, a classic masterpiece from a famous composer he had only heard once on television. Then it was clear that Leslie was incredibly talented. He would sing and play the piano but he was still unable to talk to people. He learned to play all styles of music and has played in concerts all over the world. Leslie Lemke is an amazing talent and his ability to make such beautiful music shows how incredibly powerful the brain is, even to those that seem weaker than the rest.

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  21. Autism is defined as a developmental disease that affects the brain's social and communication skills. Savant syndrome is a special syndrome in which a person has a specific island of talent. These specific areas can include music, artistic talent, calendar calculating, and many other talents. Savants use their ability to excel in one area and literally know next to everything about the subject. The two disorders are related as one in every ten with autism develops a specialized talent. These talents develop into a type of savant syndrome. These talents range in three levels called splinter skills, talented savants and prodigious savants with prodigious being the rarest. There are believed to be only around 100 prodigious savants in the entire world. They have inspired movies, become amazing painters and musicians. Kim Peek is one of the most famous prodigious savants who inspired the movie Rain Man. Peek is able to perform incredible feats of memory and calculations. He can remember over 7000 books and has a complete knowledge of world history. He recently passed away because of random heart attack in 2009. There was no question that he was one of the greatest minds to ever live.


    http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Autistic_savant
    http://erraticwisdom.com/2009/05/18/prodigious-savants-and-their-abilities
    http://www.autisticsociety.org/news/article/sid=163.html

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  22. Autism is defined as a mental condition that is present in early childhood that is characterized by impaired social skills and communication skills. Statistics prove that 6 in every 1000 children will develop this disorder, it is even 4 times as likely in males then females. Wikipedia defines savant syndrome as a rare condition in people with nuerodevelopmental disorders. David Terreft describes people with Savant Syndrome as those who excel in areas that challenge the more "artsy" side of the brain. Most savants are writing, mathematical, or music savey. One in every ten people with autism develop savant skills. The term savant means "low intelligence". Although throughout society they are described and considered "mentally retarded" these people are actually very intelligent and smart. Some kids with autism can understand and comprehend what we are saying to them, they just aren't able to respond. This is what causes the constant movements. They cannot respond which frustrates them. 50% of people with savant syndrome are autistic. The other 50% have some sort of mental disability. The most difficult part of having autism and/or savant syndrome is the social aspect of it. These people are considered social aspects, and struggle to fit in with today's society. Alonzo Clemons is an American clay sculptor, who during his childhood suffered a head injury that would change his life forever. Clemons practiced his art for 20 years until The Rainman came out in the 1980's. This movie changed the way that society viewed savants. Clemons took up a big interest in animals, which is most of what he sculpted. Clemons is just one of many savants that has expressed his talents, and has used a disability to his advantage.

    http://www.life123.com/parenting/toddlers/autism/facts-about-autism.shtml
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savant_syndrome
    http://www.artsales.com/ARTists/Alonzo_Clemons/index.html
    http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism

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  23. Autism is a disorder that is found in the brain due to a range of complex neurodevelopment. There are certain impairments that autistics will face such as difficulty to speak, socially interactions, and behavioral issues. Savant Syndrome is a condition in which people have development delays of the brain. People with savants have a significant ability such as being very intelligent or have an extraordinary talent. Researchers have found that in the right hemisphere of a savants brain is focusing on one of the five senses because of lack of lack of skill in the left hemisphere. For example Leslie Lemke is an autistic savant who has an incredible talent in music so researchers who say that his right side of the brain is focusing on hearing.
    Leslie Lemke is an autistic savant who is famous in the music industry. When Lemke was diagnosed with glaucoma, brain damage, and cerebal palsy. This resulted in the doctors having to remove his eyes . His mom gave him up for adoption and Mary Lemke adopted him when he was six months old. Leslie was not able to eat on his own so his new mom had to force feed him, until he could chew on his own which ended up being a year later. Leslie could not stand until he was 12 years old and didn’t walk until 15. One night Leslie got up out of his bed walked over to the piano in their house and started playing the Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto no. 1. He had only heard this piece once before on television. He was encouraged by his step mom and not long after was regularly playing concerts and appearing on many television shows. http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/savant_syndrome/savant_profiles/leslie_lemke
    http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Autistic_savant
    http://www.neatorama.com/2008/09/05/10-most-fascinating-savants-in-the-world/
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Lemke

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  24. Autism is a neurological disorder where the person with autism usually cannot interact with others and cannot communicate. Most autistic people have a lot of trouble speaking clearly and making friends. Autistic people usually cannot carry on a conversation and have a hard time focusing on things. Some autistic have Savants Syndrome which is an ability or intelligence that is very high compared to others. Fifty percent of people with savants are autistic. Most savants have a mental or social disorder but are still extremely smart. Austitic savants can usually focus all of their attention to one thing. Their ability can relate to the five senses which are in the right side of the brain. A skill in one of the senses in the right brain usually result in loss of a skill in the left brain which contains social skills. Most autistic savants have an unusual skill in the right side of their brain. Some scientists believe the cause of autistic savants is that neural structures in the brain have nerve cells that are not fully mature and are not in the proper side of the brain. An example of an autistic savant is Daniel Tammet. Daniel Tummet is very intelligent in math and language. Daniel has synesthesia and can do huge calculations in his head. He can also speak 11 different languages. Daniel has epilepsy and autism which resulted in his savant abilities. He was diagnosed with savants when he was 25. Daniel is a homosexual.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Tammet

    http://www.psy.dmu.ac.uk/drhiles/Savant%20Syndrome.htm

    http://www.neatorama.com/2008/09/05/10-most-fascinating-savants-in-the-world/

    http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1805

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  25. Autism is a nuero-development disorder at a young age tha effects the brain and causes a problem
    In communication, speech, and behavior. Savant syndrome is found in autism patients which is a special ability/talent like the ability to obtain an extreme amount of memory, math,science, art, engineering, etc. Savants have a supernatural like talent. The link between autism and savant is that autism patients dot have the ability to take there attention off of one thing. Most autism patients focus there lives on one thing that they live like writing or math. Which are high functioning autistics. Savant syndrome is similiar to this. Savants,like autistic patients focus on detail. The reason doctors believe it occurs is because the right hemisphere is focusing on one of the 5 senses because the left side of the brain is damaged. Alonzo Clemons was hit in the head as a child which changed the way he thought, communicated, and learned. His special ability is to sculpt exact detail sculptures of animals without looking at them while he does it. Alonzo practiced his arts without anyone really knowing for 20 years until the movie "Rain man" came out in the 1980's. After that Alonzo's arts were public and he is known as one of the most prodigious savants.



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  26. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/autism/
    http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/savant_syndrome/frequently_asked_questions#q1
    http://www.autismtoday.com/articles/SavantSyndrome.htm

    Autism is a complex developmental disability. Experts believe that Autism presents itself during the first three years of a person's life. It is the result of a neurological disorder that has an effect on normal brain function affecting development of the person's communication and social interaction skills.
    People with autism have issues with non-verbal communication, different social interactions, and activities that include an element of play.
    Savant Syndrome is a rare condition in which persons with various developmental disorders, including autistic disorder, have supernatural abilities, brilliance or talent. The condition genetic or inborn or can be acquired later in childhood, or even in adults. The condition was first named Idiot Savant in 1887 by Dr. J. Langdon Down. Approximately 10% of people with Autistic Disorder have some savant abilities.
    The link between them is that you can develop Savants Syndrome through Autism, but only about 10% of people do. People with Autism can only focus on one thing and they usually have something that they excel in. People with Savants usually have a supernatural ability dealing with music, art, or memory.
    Researchers and scientists believe what causes Savants is when a hemisphere of the brain is injured the other half compensates for it. Like if the left hemisphere of a brain injured the right hemisphere makes compensations.
    Leslie Lemke was born in 1952. He is a blind american autistic savant musician. He was born prematurely with and eye problems; he developed retinal problems and glaucoma. Lemke had his eyes surgically removed as an infant. He was fascinated with music at a very young age and with a remarkable memory, Lemke could play and sing music start to finish after only hearing it once.

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