The Savant Syndrome is an island of genius in the head or a serious pathology?

The mysterious medical phenomenon of Savant's syndrome is a special form of pathological changes occurring in the brain, which negatively affects its work.

A patient diagnosed with savantism is mentally retarded, with a disrupted general perception of the world and environment, but at the same time endowed with genius abilities.

The savant syndrome is of French origin - the very word "savant" is translated as "scientist".A patient with this syndrome has enormous talents and abilities in one or more fields of science, and is absolutely helpless in everyday life when it comes to the simplest things, such as eating or dressing, lacing shoes or talking with friends.

The peculiarity of all patients diagnosed with the genius syndrome is that, against a background of pronounced mental disorders, doctors diagnose incredible mental abilities in one or another field of knowledge.

Savant syndrome usually manifests itself in conjunction with such mental abnormalities as autism and mild degree of mental retardation, organic lesions of gray matter of the brain and congenital pathological changes in it.

The intellectual development of individuals with savantism is small and often at a level of debility, but they have a genius in some areas of life.

Reasons and provoking factors

Reasons that provoke the manifestation of savannism asand the syndrome itself in general, doctors have not yet been studied. The most common opinion of scientists on the causes of the emergence and development of the genius syndrome is anomalies localized in the right hemisphere of the brain and affecting its work. The latter are most often triggered by a genetic predisposition.

Thus, the main suspected cause of the development of the Savant syndrome is a genetic predisposition and in the list of risk factors, doctors identify mental disorders of hereditary nature.

Among others, autism or Asperger's syndrome in close relatives, as well as other mental disorders.

Among the factors that are capable of provoking the development of the syndrome doctors distinguish the following:

• the age of the parents at the time of conception and the birth of a child after 40 years;
• the weight of the newborn is less than 2,500 grams and prematurity of the fetus;
• postpartum resuscitation of the child and congenital malformations in his development;
• adverse ecology, lack of vitamin D and belonging to the male sex;
• suffered an infectious disease affecting the brain, head injuries and other unfavorable factors.

Clinical picture and abilities of the savants

Savant's disease has both congenital and acquired form, respectively, the symptomatology of the pathology will be different.

With the development of the congenital form of the disease, a man displays numerous talents in the field of science and art, in some patients hyperlexia may manifest. Exceptional memory and incredible abilities for poetry, music and other spheres of art, many other talents that make them geniuses.

The acquired form of the syndrome develops due to a suffered head trauma or CNS infectious disease affecting the brain, in particular its left part.

In addition, the development of this pathology is accompanied by:

• autism, mental and physical underdevelopment;
• abnormal changes in certain areas of the brain;
• is a genius in this or that sphere, with a low level of general intellectual development.

Such people live in their own world, they do not communicate and are closed, they are characterized by speech disorders, a certain stereotype of behavior. Most often, savants avoid looking at the person in the eye, avoiding contacts and any touches, it is problematic for them to be in the society, express their own thoughts.

Superpowers of the mentally retarded geniuses

The following super abilities and talents manifest themselves in people with the Savant syndrome:

• incredible memory and linguistic abilities;
• mathematical and musical talents;
• ability to create masterpieces of fine art;
• , they are perfectly oriented in the surrounding space, from them come out beautiful designers and technical geniuses.

Features of diagnosis, treatment and correction

The combination of extraordinary abilities and talents with pathologies and abnormalities of the psyche in an individual case is already a sign of evolving savanness.

The diagnosis is based on the establishment of brain dysfunction, the collection of an anamnesis of the course of the pathology, both in the patient himself and his relatives and relatives. The doctor appoints the examination using MRI and CT, encephalography, and laboratory studies of the collected biomaterials are also carried out.

A test is carried out to determine the intellectual level - IQ, empathy indicators - EQ, other tests.

To clarify the diagnosis, doctors also practice differential diagnosis - this will exclude the patient from developing other pathologies and diseases similar in their symptoms and manifestations with savanness. It is carried out by means of special computer diagnostic programs.

Correction measures

The main task of treating savants is to adapt a patient to an independent life in society, improve his psychological, emotional and physical state. Most often, for this purpose, developing programs and physiological procedures are used, and less often - they prescribe a course of drug therapy.

In the work on the socialization of children and adult savants with autism, a course of art therapy, music classes and reading of fairy tales - skazko-therapy, physiotherapy exercises and massage sessions are assigned.

In this process, the patient is gradually drawn into social activity, his motor activity and speech are improving, the physical condition is being improved. With such a gradual and sufficiently long treatment, the disease recedes - patients with this syndrome can be returned to full-fledged social life.

We also need a healthy lifestyle and the absence of bad habits, elimination of all risk factors, participation in public life. This is the minimum that must be observed by the patient himself, his environment during the treatment and correction of behavior.

Famous savannas

Many of the results achieved by people with the savant syndrome are simply amazing with their genius, but the phenomenon itself is very rare. The most famous people with this syndrome are:

1. Stephen Wiltshire is a British painter with a unique memory. We diagnosed in 3 years, and already in 5 years showed the ability to paint - today it is one of the most successful architectural artists.
2. Kim Peak .Kim appeared with enlarged head and craniocerebral hernia, cerebellum trauma. All these vices usually do not lead to mental retardation or incredible giftedness, but Peak combined both. Savanti's disease in a child was diagnosed at 3 years. Phenomenal ability to remember information, low muscle tone, incredible talent in music - all this was in Kim, who died at 58 years old.
3. Temple Grandin is a writer with a Ph. D. and a diploma of a professor. Her credo and life position is to facilitate the life of each and every unfortunate animal, as well as the establishment of mutual understanding between them and man.
4. Tammet Daniel - born with epilepsy, but at the same time has an incredible ability to learn languages ​​and solve mathematical problems. Tammet says that each formula and figure has its own color, shape and even sensations for it. He can learn a new foreign language in a week.

With the genius of

The most amazing advantage that savannahs receive is that, with a low learning ability and low intellectual level, they are able to develop their talents, achieving incredible success in many areas.

Depending on the form of the syndrome talents genius-savant can manifest themselves as follows:

1. Phenomenal ability to memorize .The brightest savannah with such a talent is Kim Peak - for 10 seconds he reads 1 page of the book, as if memorizing the text. Kim read about 10,000 books, is able to reproduce the text without a single mistake, can accurately specify a passage of text, a line and a page number. In addition to his unique memory, he has talent in music, playing guitar and piano.
2. Talents in the painting - a bright representative, which is an artist from Britain Stephen Wilshere. He has a visual type of memory and has a unique talent in the field of painting, is able not only to remember, but also to reproduce on canvas any landscape. He was diagnosed at the age of 5, but proper education led to the fact that he became not only successful, but also a famous, outstanding artist.
3. Mathematical talents and linguistic abilities .The world celebrity with the Savant Syndrome and mathematical abilities Tammet Daniel from Britain. Tammet was born with epilepsy, but this did not stop him from operating with 6-digit numbers, he can learn a new, even the most complicated language, in a week.
4. Talent in music is a bright representative who has such abilities, jazz-ben Derek Paravichini. But in addition to his narrow talents, Derek suffers from autism and is completely helpless.
5. Land orientation .Ben Underwood lost his eyes as a child, but his talent of echolocation ability to navigate the terrain made him famous all over the world. Editing a click and catching an echo, he easily moves around the terrain and plays basketball.

Scientists and doctors until today have not come to a common opinion whether to consider savantism a pathology or a manifestation of genius. In this case, mental inferiority and physical backwardness are combined, compensated by extraordinary talents.