File:Kim_Peek,_diagnosed_with_Savant_syndrome.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
savant syndrome
Sign in to saveAlso known as Autistic savant, savant syndrome (historical)
psychological disorder that turns people to a megasavant, with a serious mental disorder
Key facts
- Other names
- Autistic savant, savant syndrome (historical)
- Specialty
- Psychiatry , neurology
- Symptoms
- General intellectual disability with certain abilities far in excess of average
- Types
- Congenital , acquired
- Causes
- Neurodevelopmental disorder such as autism spectrum disorder , brain injury
- Frequency
- ~1 in a million people
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- syndrome
- Subclass of
- intellectual giftedness
- Image
- Kim Peek, diagnosed with Savant syndrome.jpg
Show 2 more facts
- model item
- Kim Peek
- health specialty
- psychiatry
via Wikidata · CC0
~9 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Savant syndrome (/ˈsæ.vənt, sæ.ˈvɑːnt/ SAV-ənt, sa-VAHNT, US also /sə.ˈvɑːnt/ sə-VAHNT) 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 savant syndrome 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. While the condition usually becomes apparent in childhood, some cases develop later in life. Savant syndrome itself 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.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “savant syndrome” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.