Savant syndrome ( , ) is a phenomenon where someone demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one domain, such as art or mathematics, with such aptitude often coinciding with some form of social or intellectual impairment.[
]
Those with the condition generally have a neurodevelopmental condition, such as autism, or have experienced a brain injury.[ About half of cases are associated with autism, and these individuals may be known as autistic savants. The other half often have some form of central nervous system injury or disease.][ It is not recognized as a mental disorder within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), as it relates to parts of the brain healing or restructuring.]
Savant syndrome is estimated to affect around one in a million people.[ The first medical account of the condition was in 1783.][ It is estimated that between 0.5% and 10% of those with autism have some form of savant abilities.]
Signs and symptoms
Savant skills are usually found in one or more of five major areas: art, memory, arithmetic, musical abilities, and spatial skills.[ The most common kinds of savants are calendrical savants,][
]
Calendrical savants
A (or ) is someone who – despite having an intellectual disability – can name the day of the week of a date, or vice versa, on a limited range of decades or certain millennia.
Mechanism
Psychological
No widely accepted cognitive theory explains savants' combination of talent and deficit.
Neurological
In some cases, savant syndrome can be induced following severe head trauma to the left anterior temporal lobe.[ Savant syndrome has been artificially replicated using low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation to temporarily disable this area of the brain.]
Epidemiology
There are no objectively definitive statistics about how many people have savant skills. The estimates range from "exceedingly rare"[ A 2009 British study of 137 parents of autistic children found that 28% believe their children met the criteria for a savant skill, defined as a skill or power "at a level that would be unusual even for 'normal' people".]
Males diagnosed with savant syndrome outnumber females by roughly 6:1 (in Finland),[Treffert, Darold. A Visual Feast ] slightly higher than the sex ratio disparity for autism spectrum disorders of 4.3:1.
History
The term idiot savant (French language for 'learned idiot') was first used to describe the condition in 1887[ lecture 3 of On some of the mental affections of childhood and youth, Down 1887] by John Langdon Down, who is known for his description of Down syndrome. Down described approximately ten cases of youth he had known with unusual mental powers, like "verbal adhesion" (e.g. memorizing books read once), photographic memory for artistic drawing, model-building, or music, autobiographical memory, arithmetic & calendrical calculation, & always knowing the current time down to the minute. Down noted that they were all male, none had a family history of similar talents, and that the extraordinary memory was usually associated with "very great defect of reasoning power".
The term idiot savant was later described as a misnomer because not all reported cases fit the definition of idiot, originally used for a person with a very severe intellectual disability. The term autistic savant was also used as a description of the disorder. Like idiot savant, the term came to be considered a misnomer because only half of those who were diagnosed with savant syndrome were autistic. Upon realization of the need for accuracy of diagnosis and dignity towards the individual, the term savant syndrome became widely accepted terminology.[
]
Society and culture
Notable cases
-
Daniel Tammet, British author and polyglot
-
Derek Paravicini, British blind musical prodigy and pianist
-
Henriett Seth F., Hungarian autistic writer and artist
-
Nadia Chomyn, British autistic artist
-
Kim Peek, American "megasavant"
-
Leslie Lemke, American musician
-
Rex Lewis-Clack, American pianist and musical savant
-
Matt Savage, American musician
-
Richard Wawro, British crayon artist
-
Stephen Wiltshire, British architectural artist
-
Temple Grandin,
-
Blind Tom Wiggins, American blind pianist and composer
-
Kodi Lee, 2019 America's Got Talent winner (musician)
Acquired cases
-
Alonzo Clemons, American acquired savant sculptor
-
Tony Cicoria, American acquired savant pianist and medical doctor
-
Derek Amato, American acquired savant composer and pianist
-
Patrick Fagerberg, American acquired savant artist, inventor and former lawyer
-
Orlando Serrell, American acquired savant
-
Tommy McHugh, British artist and poet
Fictional cases
-
Park Shi-on, autistic savant in the 2013 South Korean medical drama Good Doctor
-
Shaun Murphy, autistic savant in the 2017 American medical drama television series The Good Doctor (remake of the 2013 South Korean series)
-
Raymond Babbitt, autistic savant in the 1988 film Rain Man (inspired by Kim Peek)
-
Kazan, developmentally disabled savant in the 1997 film Cube
-
Patrick Obyedkov, acquired savant in a 2007 episode of the U.S. medical drama House.
-
Forrest Gump, savant in the 1986 novel Forrest Gump by Winston Groom.
-
Ireneo Funes, acquired savant in the 1942 short story Funes the Memorious by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges.
-
Christian Wolff, autistic savant in the 2016 film The Accountant and its 2025 sequel The Accountant 2.
-
Woo Young-woo, autistic savant in the 2022 South Korean television series Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
See also
