Savant Syndrome Essay

What is Savant Syndrome? Savant Syndrome is an uncommon but spectacular condition in which people with various developmental disabilities have problems interacting normally. This condition is often seen in people with autism that has limited abilities with language, socialization, and daily living. Autism is a moderately rare condition resulting from a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life – which we learned in class. Despite daily limitations people who are diagnosed with savant syndrome tend to develop surprising skills above their apparent cognitive level, and sometimes even above the level of a very smart person. Take kim Peek, for instance, who is developmentally disabled but is known

From my understanding of the article these abilities are presented in autistic people with abnormal brain functioning. In addition, most of these brain abnormalities occur in both the left and right hemisphere of the brain. The article stated “most autistic people that present savant skills or abilities are likely to have deficient difficulties in the left hemisphere of the brain, whereas the right hemisphere compensates for parts of the brain that are undamaged. Two neurologists points out that the left hemisphere of the brain normally completes its development later than the right and is therefore subject to prenatal

The only way to know things one never learned {sometimes at complex levels} is for knowledge to be factory installed or genetically transmitted. Experts believe each of us can tap into our own islands of savant intelligence that are simply overwhelmed by everyday cognition. Even though this belief has not been proven yet, I agree with the expert assumption and believe each of us can tap into our savant intelligence by understanding both our brain and human potentials. In fact, all of us have some of the same circuitry pathway intrinsic to savant functioning but this can be less accessible because most of this society tends to be left brained. Whereas, most savants use their right brain more than the left. This may be due to a left-brain injury with right brain compensation – as I mentioned earlier, or it may be a birth defect Whatever the cause may be towards unique memory in people with savant syndrome researchers or psychologist should help these people learn to use their special skill in other ways such as,