The Savant Syndrome

People with the Savant syndrome are characterized by an unquestionable mental inferiority, combined with unique abilities. The ability of these people with the light hand of the American psychiatrist D. Treffert is called the "island of genius" in the sea of their complete failure in everyday life.

The term "savant syndrome" was put into circulation by JL Daun at the end of the 19th century. He called the savants mentally retarded, but noted their ability to learn and to know the world. To reveal talents of savants is not difficult, it is enough to find the right psychological approach to them.

Epidemiology

According to the United Nations, there are approximately 67 million people with autistic disorders in the world today. Among them, only 50 people with the Savant Syndrome, any of them are certainly unique and endowed with extraordinary talents in various fields of science and art.

Dr. D. Treffert believes that insane geniuses with outstanding abilities in the world are no more than 25 people, and in the 20th century there were born not more than a hundred.

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Causes of the the Savant Syndrome

This pathology in most cases is due to genetic predisposition. Modern science knows about a hundred people with the savant syndrome, half of them suffer from autism, the rest - other disorders of the psyche.

There are cases when this condition was a consequence of head injuries or degenerative diseases of the brain. Physicians believe that savantism can be the result of perinatal pathology.

The causes of this phenomenon are still in the field of assumptions. Male savannas five times the number of women with this pathology. American neurophysiologists explain the quantitative superiority of men with the presence in the male X chromosome of several dozen genes that contribute to the birth of a child with this syndrome.

It is believed that the presence of an ultrahigh level of the male hormone testosterone, promotes accelerated brain growth in infants with savant syndrome, while inhibiting the production of the hormone oxytocin, responsible for successful adaptation in society.

There is an assumption about the existence of a virus that causes mutating neurons of the brain.

Computer and magnetic resonance tomography of the brain of people with this phenomenon indicates that they have the right hemisphere of the brain replenishing the deficiencies of the left hemisphere. This idea is confirmed by the fact that the savants have uniquely developed one of any skill - phenomenal memory or absolute hearing.

It is quite clear that the brain of these people has an unusual structure: for example, the famous Kim Peak (prototype of the hero Dustin Hoffman in the movie "Man of the Rain"), the brain is not divided into hemispheres.

Acquired pathology can be caused by head injuries, epilepsy, dementia.

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Risk factors

Since the main cause of savannism is the genetic predisposition, the main risk factor is hereditary mental disorders. In particular, the presence of autism or Asperger syndrome in siblings, the presence in the family history of other mental illnesses.

Other significant risk factors are:

• mature age of parents (mother - over 40, father - over 49);
• the weight of the newborn is less than 2500 g;
• prematurity (gestation age <35 weeks);
• postpartum resuscitation of a newborn;
• congenital malformations;
• male sex of newborn;
• an unfavorable ecological environment, the effect of which leads to gene mutations, vitamin D deficiency.

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Pathogenesis

In modern classification of diseases, the Savant syndrome is not considered an independent nosological unit. Most often it accompanies the disorders of the autistic spectrum.

Modern neuroscience is not yet capable of answering the question of the development of this rare pathology.

There is an opinion that the unique abilities of savants appear as a result of interference of external and internal pathological processes in the morphological asymmetry of the hemispheres of the brain. At the majority of adult people (so-called normal) the left hemisphere is more right. It is responsible for verbal information and analytical thinking of a person. The right hemisphere for creativity, art, spatial and imaginative thinking. According to the results of the surveys, in the individuals with this syndrome the left hemisphere of the brain is to some extent damaged. Given that the right hemisphere is responsible for creativity, scientists admit that it compensates for a person's loss of left dysfunction.

Left-hemisphere dysfunction scientists are motivated by more frequent cases of savannism in men than in women. The left hemisphere of the brain matures later than the right, and accordingly remains more sensitive to unwanted perinatal influences. And embryos and newborns of male sex have a higher testosterone index that inhibits the formation of the left hemisphere and promotes more pronounced asymmetry between the hemispheres in men.

Special attention of scientists is attracted to clinical cases the emergence of genius in people who acquired them as a result of the impact on the brain of various pathological factors. For example, the emergence of the ability for the visual arts in people with lesions of the frontal lobes and anterior divisions of the temporal lobes of the brain, when the process of death of nerve cells of the brain affected the left hemisphere. They slowed down the process of dementia.

There is also a clinical case where a boy of nine years old as a result of a gunshot wound to the left hemisphere zone has deafened, stopped talking, his right side of his body was paralyzed, but this was compensated by his outstanding abilities in mechanics.

Dr. D.Treffert, studying this phenomenon for more than 30 years, gives an acceptable interpretation of the unusual genius of the savants: since the left brain hemisphere does not work properly, the right brain - forms new skills using neural cells designed for other functions, reveals the hidden skills so far .

Symptoms of the the Savant Syndrome

For the savants, the most elementary domestic activities are difficult: eat, dress, go to the store and choose a purchase, communicate with strangers. In this case, in some areas of knowledge, they are brilliant. Those possessing a phenomenal memory can, without errors, retell large volumes of once heard text or draw a plan for the first time they see the terrain, instantly produce complex mathematical calculations in their minds and perform musical works heard once.

In savants, the functions of the left hemisphere of the brain are inadequate, which is compensated for by activating the parts of the right hemisphere.

The areas of knowledge in which they show amazing abilities are very limited. These people have a phenomenal memory. Based on this, and develop mathematical, musical, artistic, linguistic talents, the ability to mechanics or, without a vision, navigate in space. Most of the known cases indicate that they have only one talent developed perfectly.

Savants remember all the small details, along with the main events, they keep in mind a huge amount of information, absolutely not delving into their meaning. Verbal bonding is what Down called this symptom.

Savantism accompanies:

• autism spectrum disorders:
• mental and physical underdevelopment;
• abnormal changes in parts of the brain;
• islands of genius against the backdrop of a low level of general intelligence.

People with this pathology live in their own world, uncommunicable. They are characterized by speech disorders and a certain stereotype of movement. They avoid contact "eye to eye", avoid touching. Savantam is problematic to express his thoughts and socialize in society.

First signs

If the savant syndrome developed against the background of congenital anomalies of the development of the psyche, then the unique abilities are manifested already in early childhood. For example, children-savants, who have never been taught to draw, photographic accuracy depict a variety of objects, when their peers are at the stage of drawing scribbles.

Famous to the whole world, the savant Kim Peak, already in 1,5-2 years, surprised his parents by remembering everything he had read, and soon he learned to read, and at the age of 12 stopped going to school, because he independently mastered the school program "perfectly."

Stages

The syndrome of the savant, seen from childhood, is accompanied by various forms of congenital dementia - autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, FG syndrome. Each known case of this pathology is individual and has its stages of development of the disease. But for all cases there is one general rule: the earlier the work on behavioral correction has been started, the greater the probability of successful adaptation of the child in the society and achieving independence in the future. Therefore, the most important is the first or early stage of the disease.

The early stage of the disease begins with the birth of the child. Most of the children born with the syndrome are already visible as exceptional abilities (they start reading, counting, drawing too early). Along with this, mental disorders are also noticeable. Modern methods allow to recognize the disease in infancy.

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Forms

Talents of people with a syndrome of giftedness, also called savants, are manifested in a limited number of human activities.

In music, the ideal performance of music pieces once heard, usually on the piano.

In painting or sculpture - their creations are distinguished by accuracy in all details and speed of execution.

In mathematics - instantaneous arithmetic operations with multi-digit numbers, reproduction of a long series of numbers, other mathematical abilities are not known.

In mechanics - the determination of the exact distance without the use of any measuring tools.

In modeling - painstaking production of models that are characterized by high complexity.

Significantly less common knowledge of languages, and savants are real polyglots.

Presence of supersensitive sense of smell, touch and vision.

The sense of time is the ability to accurately determine the time without a chronometer, to accurately indicate the day of the week with a specific date.

Usually a person with a savant syndrome has one kind of skill. But it happens that he is gifted with several talents.

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Complications and consequences

Islets of genius in savants are most often associated with mental illnesses of the autism spectrum, which are characterized by communicative difficulties. The growth of such children is often complicated by depressions associated with the difficulties of self-realization, a sense of loneliness, they are oppressed by the lack of opportunity to join the society. In various studies, indirect evidence is provided that individuals in the autism spectrum are predisposed to thoughts of suicide.

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Diagnostics of the the Savant Syndrome

The totality of bright extraordinary talents with mental pathology in a single individual is already a sign of the Savant syndrome. The syndrome itself is not a disease and, accordingly, is not diagnosed.

A diagnosis of concomitant brain dysfunction is established. Savance is considered a rare special case of autism. There is an anamnesis of the patient and his close relatives, the symptoms are studied, the necessary examinations are made: MRI, CT, encephalography, laboratory tests. Investigated patients are offered tests for assessing IQ, EQ, and other diagnostic criteria. In particular, a method called differential diagnosis is used.

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Differential diagnosis

It is a method of excluding diseases that are possible for a patient who is not suitable for any facts or symptoms. As a result, the only possible disease should remain. Modern differential diagnostics is done with the help of specially developed computer programs.

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Treatment of the the Savant Syndrome

The paramount task in the treatment of savants is their adaptation to an independent life in society, improving their emotional and physical condition. Medicamental treatment is necessary only in individual cases.

Unconventional abilities, found in children with developmental disorders, require a thrilling attitude. Energetic pedagogical actions aimed at the socialization of such children were successful, but often led to the loss of their abilities. But not always, the experience of other savants proves that with the support of children's talents, both extraordinary abilities and communication skills are being improved, and new talents can develop.

Effective in the work on the socialization of children with disorders of the autistic spectrum of art therapy and skazkoterapiya. He is drawn into activity, his motor and speech functions are improved, and the disease slowly but surely recedes.

Prevention

Healthy way of life of people who are going to acquire offspring, which will help to avoid the above listed risk factors.

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Forecast

Scientists have not yet come to a single conclusion of the savant syndrome - a pathology or a form of genius.

Mental and physical backwardness are compensated by extraordinary data demonstrating the infinity of human potential. Many carriers of this syndrome are widely known, have fascinating work and, probably, are happy.

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