The Experts below are selected from a list of 360 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Darold A. Treffert - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Is Synaesthesia More Prevalent in Autism Spectrum Conditions? Only Where There Is Prodigious Talent
Multisensory research, 2017Co-Authors: James E A Hughes, Darold A. Treffert, Simon Baron-cohen, Julia Simner, Jamie WardAbstract:Savant Syndrome is a condition where prodigious talent co-occurs with developmental difficulties such as autism spectrum conditions (ASC). To better understand Savant skills, we previously proposed a link with synaesthesia: that Savant Syndrome may arise in ASC individuals who also happen to have synaesthesia. A second, unrelated claim is that people with autism may have higher rates of synaesthesia. Here we ask whether synaesthesia is indeed found more often in autism per se, or only in cases where autism co-occurs with Savant skills. People with autism in previous studies when tested for synaesthesia were not differentiated into those with and without Savant abilities. Here we tested three groups: people with autism who also have Savant skills (n = 40), people with autism without Savant skills (n = 34), and controls without autism (n = 29). We used a validated test to diagnose grapheme–colour synaesthesia. Results show a significantly higher prevalence of synaesthesia in people with ASC, but only those who also have Savant skills. This suggests that synaesthesia in autism is linked to those with Savant abilities rather than autism per se. We discuss the role of synaesthesia in the development of prodigious talent.
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The Savant Syndrome Registry: A Preliminary Report.
WMJ : official publication of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin, 2015Co-Authors: Darold A. Treffert, David Lee RebedewAbstract:A registry has been established to document certain characteristics on a sizeable worldwide sample of individuals with Savant Syndrome, a rare but remarkable condition in which persons with developmental disabilities, brain injury, or brain disease have some spectacular "islands" of skill or ability that stand in jarring, marked contrast to overall handicap. Of the 319 Savants included in the registry, 90% are congenital Savants, while 10% are acquired Savants. The registry includes individuals from 33 countries, with 70% from the United States or Canada. Sex distribution was 79% male vs. 21% female (4:1). This report summarizes the findings in the congenital Savant Syndrome category of the registry. Among the individuals with congenital Savant Syndrome, the most common underlying disability was Autistic Spectrum Disorder (75%); various other central nervous system (CNS) disorders were present in the other 25%. Fifty-five percent possessed a single special skill, while 45% had multiple skills. Music was the most frequent principal skill followed by art, memory, mathematics, calendar calculating, language, visual-spatial/mechanical, athletic, computer, extrasensory perception, and other skills.
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Savant Syndrome: Realities, myths and misconceptions
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2014Co-Authors: Darold A. TreffertAbstract:It was 126 years ago that Down first described Savant Syndrome as a specific condition and 70 years ago that Kanner first described Early Infantile Autism. While as many as one in ten autistic persons have Savant abilities, such special skills occur in other CNS conditions as well such that approximately 50 % of cases of Savant Syndrome have autism as the underlying developmental disability and 50 % are associated with other disabilities. This paper sorts out realities from myths and misconceptions about both Savant Syndrome and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that have developed through the years. The reality is that low IQ is not necessarily an accompaniment of Savant syn-drome; in some cases IQ can be superior. Also, Savants can be creative, rather than just duplicative, and the skills increase over time on a continuum from duplication, to improvisation to creation, rather than diminishing or sud-denly disappearing. Genius and prodigy exist separate from Savant Syndrome and not all such highly gifted persons have Asperger's Disorder. This paper also emphasizes the critical importance of separating 'autistic-like' symptoms from ASD especially in children when the Savant ability presents as hyperlexia (children who read early) or as Einstein Syndrome (children who speak late), or have impaired vision (Blindisms) because prognosis and out-come are very different when that careful distinction is made. In those cases the term 'outgrowing autism' might be mistakenly applied when in fact the child did not have ASD in the first place.
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Toward a better understanding of the Savant brain
Comprehensive psychiatry, 2011Co-Authors: Neva M. Corrigan, Darold A. Treffert, Todd L. Richards, Stephen R. DagerAbstract:Abstract Objective The objectives of this study are to investigate the neuroanatomy, regional brain connectivity, and neurochemistry of a prodigious artistic Savant; to place these findings within the context of existing neuroimaging literature of Savant Syndrome; and to discuss the utility of newer imaging modalities to extend our current understanding of mechanisms underlying Savant skills. Methods High-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, J-resolved MR spectroscopy, and diffusion tensor imaging data were acquired during a single scanning session for a 63-year-old male autistic Savant with prodigious artistic skills. Regional and compartmental brain volumes, N -acetyl aspartate, choline, creatine, glutamate and γ -aminobutyric acid concentrations, fractional anisotropy values, and white matter bundle volumes as well as axial, radial, and mean diffusivities were calculated. Results No gross anatomical differences were observed. By morphological assessment, cerebral volume (1362 mL) was larger than normative literature values for adult males. The corpus callosum was intact and did not exhibit abnormal structural features. The right cerebral hemisphere was 1.9% larger than the left hemisphere; the right amygdala and right caudate nuclei were 24% and 9.9% larger, respectively, compared with the left side. In contrast, the putamen was 8.3% larger on the left side. Fractional anisotropy was increased on the right side as compared with the left for 4 of the 5 bilateral regions studied (the amygdala, caudate, frontal lobe, and hippocampus). Fiber tract bundle volumes were larger on the right side for the amygdala, hippocampus, frontal lobe, and occipital lobe. Both the left and the right hippocampi had substantially increased axial and mean diffusivities as compared with those of a comparison sample of nonSavant adult males. The corpus callosum and left amygdala also exhibited high axial, radial, and mean diffusivities. MR spectroscopy revealed markedly decreased γ -aminobutyric acid and glutamate in the parietal lobe. Conclusions Although examination of brain gross morphometry demonstrated no clinically remarkable abnormalities, utilization of conventional as well as newer MR imaging technologies revealed several atypical structural and chemical features that may be involved in the special skills of this prodigious Savant. The multimodal imaging approach presented in this study is suitable for the evaluation of larger samples of Savants with a diverse range of talents to investigate common brain features that may underlie the exceptional cognitive capabilities characteristic of Savant Syndrome. Given the high co-occurrence of the two Syndromes, elucidating the underlying neurophysiologic basis of Savant Syndrome may also lead to a better understanding of autism spectrum disorder.
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THE Savant Syndrome: AN EXTRAORDINARY CONDITION. A SYNOPSIS: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B Biological sciences, 2009Co-Authors: Darold A. TreffertAbstract:Savant Syndrome is a rare, but extraordinary, condition in which persons with serious mental disabilities, including autistic disorder, have some ‘island of genius’ which stands in marked, incongruous contrast to overall handicap. As many as one in 10 persons with autistic disorder have such remarkable abilities in varying degrees, although Savant Syndrome occurs in other developmental disabilities or in other types of central nervous system injury or disease as well. Whatever the particular Savant skill, it is always linked to massive memory. This paper presents a brief review of the phenomenology of Savant skills, the history of the concept and implications for education and future research.
Jamie Ward - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Savant Syndrome has a distinct psychological profile in autism
Molecular Autism, 2018Co-Authors: James E A Hughes, Jamie Ward, Elin Gruffydd, Simon Baron-cohen, Paula Smith, Carrie Allison, Julia SimnerAbstract:Background Savant Syndrome is a condition where prodigious talent can co-occur with developmental conditions such as autism spectrum conditions (autism). It is not yet clear why some autistic people develop Savant skills while others do not. Methods We tested three groups of adults: autistic individuals who have Savant skills, autistic individuals without Savant skills, and typical controls without autism or Savant Syndrome. In experiment 1, we investigated the cognitive and behavioural profiles of these three groups by asking participants to complete a battery of self-report measures of sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, cognitive styles, and broader autism-related traits including social communication and systemising. In experiment 2, we investigated how our three groups learned a novel Savant skill—calendar calculation. Results Heightened sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, technical/spatial abilities, and systemising were all key aspects in defining the Savant profile distinct from autism alone, along with a different approach to task learning. Conclusions These results reveal a unique cognitive and behavioural profile in autistic adults with Savant Syndrome that is distinct from autistic adults without a Savant skill.
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Savant Syndrome has a distinct psychological profile in autism
Molecular autism, 2018Co-Authors: James E A Hughes, Jamie Ward, Elin Gruffydd, Simon Baron-cohen, Paula Smith, Catherine Allison, Julia SimnerAbstract:Savant Syndrome is a condition where prodigious talent can co-occur with developmental conditions such as autism spectrum conditions (autism). It is not yet clear why some autistic people develop Savant skills while others do not. We tested three groups of adults: autistic individuals who have Savant skills, autistic individuals without Savant skills, and typical controls without autism or Savant Syndrome. In experiment 1, we investigated the cognitive and behavioural profiles of these three groups by asking participants to complete a battery of self-report measures of sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, cognitive styles, and broader autism-related traits including social communication and systemising. In experiment 2, we investigated how our three groups learned a novel Savant skill—calendar calculation. Heightened sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, technical/spatial abilities, and systemising were all key aspects in defining the Savant profile distinct from autism alone, along with a different approach to task learning. These results reveal a unique cognitive and behavioural profile in autistic adults with Savant Syndrome that is distinct from autistic adults without a Savant skill.
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Is Synaesthesia More Prevalent in Autism Spectrum Conditions? Only Where There Is Prodigious Talent
Multisensory research, 2017Co-Authors: James E A Hughes, Darold A. Treffert, Simon Baron-cohen, Julia Simner, Jamie WardAbstract:Savant Syndrome is a condition where prodigious talent co-occurs with developmental difficulties such as autism spectrum conditions (ASC). To better understand Savant skills, we previously proposed a link with synaesthesia: that Savant Syndrome may arise in ASC individuals who also happen to have synaesthesia. A second, unrelated claim is that people with autism may have higher rates of synaesthesia. Here we ask whether synaesthesia is indeed found more often in autism per se, or only in cases where autism co-occurs with Savant skills. People with autism in previous studies when tested for synaesthesia were not differentiated into those with and without Savant abilities. Here we tested three groups: people with autism who also have Savant skills (n = 40), people with autism without Savant skills (n = 34), and controls without autism (n = 29). We used a validated test to diagnose grapheme–colour synaesthesia. Results show a significantly higher prevalence of synaesthesia in people with ASC, but only those who also have Savant skills. This suggests that synaesthesia in autism is linked to those with Savant abilities rather than autism per se. We discuss the role of synaesthesia in the development of prodigious talent.
John R. Hughes - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The Savant Syndrome and Its Possible Relationship to Epilepsy
Advances in experimental medicine and biology, 2012Co-Authors: John R. HughesAbstract:The goal of this chapter is to review the Savant Syndrome (SS), characterized by outstanding islands of mental ability in otherwise handicapped individuals. Two forms exist: The congenital and acquired form. Among the many examples of the congenital form are the calendar calculators, who can quickly provide the day of the week for any date in the past. Other examples are the musical Savants with perfect pitch and the hyperlexics, who (in one case) can read a page in 8 seconds and recall the text later at a 99% level. Other types of talents and artistic skills can be found, involving 3-D drawing, map memory, poetry, painting, sculpturing, including one Savant who could recite without error the value of Pi to 22,514 places. The acquired form refers to the development of outstanding skills after some brain injury or disease, usually involving the left fronto-temporal area. This type of injury seems to inhibit the ‘tyranny of the left hemisphere’, allowing the right hemisphere to develop the Savant skills. One other way to inhibit the left fronto-temporal area is to use transcranial magnetic stimulation in normal subjects and nearly one-half of these subjects can then perform new skills during the stimulation that they could not perform before. This type of finding indicates the potentiality in all of us for the development of Savant skills under special circumstances. Explanations of the congenital SS include enhanced local connectivity as a compensation for underconnectivity of long-range fibers, but also weak central coherence, replaced by great attention to details, enhanced perceptual functioning and obsessive pre-occupation with specific interests. Neurodegenerative Diseases, edited by Shamim I. Ahmad.
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A review of Savant Syndrome and its possible relationship to epilepsy
Epilepsy & behavior : E&B, 2010Co-Authors: John R. HughesAbstract:Abstract The goal of this article is to review Savant Syndrome, characterized by outstanding islands of mental ability in otherwise handicapped individuals. Two forms exist: the congenital form and the acquired form. Among the many examples of the congenital form are the calendar calculators, who can quickly provide the day of the week for any date in the past; the musical Savants, who have perfect pitch; and the hyperlexics, who (in one case) can read a page in 8 s and recall the text later at a 99% level. Other types of talents and artistic skills involving three-dimensional drawing, map memory, poetry, painting, and sculpturing are also observed. One Savant could recite without error the value of Pi to 22,514 places. Persons with the acquired form develop outstanding skills after brain injury or disease, usually involving the left frontotemporal area. This type of injury seems to inhibit the “tyranny of the left hemisphere,” allowing the right hemisphere to develop the Savant skills. Another way to inhibit the left frontotemporal area is to use transcranial magnetic stimulation in normal subjects; nearly one-half of these subjects can then perform new skills during the stimulation that they could not perform before. This type of finding indicates the potential in all of us for the development of Savant skills in special circumstances. Explanations of congenital Savant Syndrome include enhanced local connectivity as a compensation for underconnectivity of long-range fibers, but also weak central coherence, replaced by great attention to detail, enhanced perceptual functioning, and obsessive preoccupation with specific interests.
James E A Hughes - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Savant Syndrome has a distinct psychological profile in autism
Molecular Autism, 2018Co-Authors: James E A Hughes, Jamie Ward, Elin Gruffydd, Simon Baron-cohen, Paula Smith, Carrie Allison, Julia SimnerAbstract:Background Savant Syndrome is a condition where prodigious talent can co-occur with developmental conditions such as autism spectrum conditions (autism). It is not yet clear why some autistic people develop Savant skills while others do not. Methods We tested three groups of adults: autistic individuals who have Savant skills, autistic individuals without Savant skills, and typical controls without autism or Savant Syndrome. In experiment 1, we investigated the cognitive and behavioural profiles of these three groups by asking participants to complete a battery of self-report measures of sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, cognitive styles, and broader autism-related traits including social communication and systemising. In experiment 2, we investigated how our three groups learned a novel Savant skill—calendar calculation. Results Heightened sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, technical/spatial abilities, and systemising were all key aspects in defining the Savant profile distinct from autism alone, along with a different approach to task learning. Conclusions These results reveal a unique cognitive and behavioural profile in autistic adults with Savant Syndrome that is distinct from autistic adults without a Savant skill.
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Savant Syndrome has a distinct psychological profile in autism
Molecular autism, 2018Co-Authors: James E A Hughes, Jamie Ward, Elin Gruffydd, Simon Baron-cohen, Paula Smith, Catherine Allison, Julia SimnerAbstract:Savant Syndrome is a condition where prodigious talent can co-occur with developmental conditions such as autism spectrum conditions (autism). It is not yet clear why some autistic people develop Savant skills while others do not. We tested three groups of adults: autistic individuals who have Savant skills, autistic individuals without Savant skills, and typical controls without autism or Savant Syndrome. In experiment 1, we investigated the cognitive and behavioural profiles of these three groups by asking participants to complete a battery of self-report measures of sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, cognitive styles, and broader autism-related traits including social communication and systemising. In experiment 2, we investigated how our three groups learned a novel Savant skill—calendar calculation. Heightened sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, technical/spatial abilities, and systemising were all key aspects in defining the Savant profile distinct from autism alone, along with a different approach to task learning. These results reveal a unique cognitive and behavioural profile in autistic adults with Savant Syndrome that is distinct from autistic adults without a Savant skill.
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Is Synaesthesia More Prevalent in Autism Spectrum Conditions? Only Where There Is Prodigious Talent
Multisensory research, 2017Co-Authors: James E A Hughes, Darold A. Treffert, Simon Baron-cohen, Julia Simner, Jamie WardAbstract:Savant Syndrome is a condition where prodigious talent co-occurs with developmental difficulties such as autism spectrum conditions (ASC). To better understand Savant skills, we previously proposed a link with synaesthesia: that Savant Syndrome may arise in ASC individuals who also happen to have synaesthesia. A second, unrelated claim is that people with autism may have higher rates of synaesthesia. Here we ask whether synaesthesia is indeed found more often in autism per se, or only in cases where autism co-occurs with Savant skills. People with autism in previous studies when tested for synaesthesia were not differentiated into those with and without Savant abilities. Here we tested three groups: people with autism who also have Savant skills (n = 40), people with autism without Savant skills (n = 34), and controls without autism (n = 29). We used a validated test to diagnose grapheme–colour synaesthesia. Results show a significantly higher prevalence of synaesthesia in people with ASC, but only those who also have Savant skills. This suggests that synaesthesia in autism is linked to those with Savant abilities rather than autism per se. We discuss the role of synaesthesia in the development of prodigious talent.
Julia Simner - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Savant Syndrome has a distinct psychological profile in autism
Molecular Autism, 2018Co-Authors: James E A Hughes, Jamie Ward, Elin Gruffydd, Simon Baron-cohen, Paula Smith, Carrie Allison, Julia SimnerAbstract:Background Savant Syndrome is a condition where prodigious talent can co-occur with developmental conditions such as autism spectrum conditions (autism). It is not yet clear why some autistic people develop Savant skills while others do not. Methods We tested three groups of adults: autistic individuals who have Savant skills, autistic individuals without Savant skills, and typical controls without autism or Savant Syndrome. In experiment 1, we investigated the cognitive and behavioural profiles of these three groups by asking participants to complete a battery of self-report measures of sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, cognitive styles, and broader autism-related traits including social communication and systemising. In experiment 2, we investigated how our three groups learned a novel Savant skill—calendar calculation. Results Heightened sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, technical/spatial abilities, and systemising were all key aspects in defining the Savant profile distinct from autism alone, along with a different approach to task learning. Conclusions These results reveal a unique cognitive and behavioural profile in autistic adults with Savant Syndrome that is distinct from autistic adults without a Savant skill.
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Savant Syndrome has a distinct psychological profile in autism
Molecular autism, 2018Co-Authors: James E A Hughes, Jamie Ward, Elin Gruffydd, Simon Baron-cohen, Paula Smith, Catherine Allison, Julia SimnerAbstract:Savant Syndrome is a condition where prodigious talent can co-occur with developmental conditions such as autism spectrum conditions (autism). It is not yet clear why some autistic people develop Savant skills while others do not. We tested three groups of adults: autistic individuals who have Savant skills, autistic individuals without Savant skills, and typical controls without autism or Savant Syndrome. In experiment 1, we investigated the cognitive and behavioural profiles of these three groups by asking participants to complete a battery of self-report measures of sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, cognitive styles, and broader autism-related traits including social communication and systemising. In experiment 2, we investigated how our three groups learned a novel Savant skill—calendar calculation. Heightened sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, technical/spatial abilities, and systemising were all key aspects in defining the Savant profile distinct from autism alone, along with a different approach to task learning. These results reveal a unique cognitive and behavioural profile in autistic adults with Savant Syndrome that is distinct from autistic adults without a Savant skill.
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Is Synaesthesia More Prevalent in Autism Spectrum Conditions? Only Where There Is Prodigious Talent
Multisensory research, 2017Co-Authors: James E A Hughes, Darold A. Treffert, Simon Baron-cohen, Julia Simner, Jamie WardAbstract:Savant Syndrome is a condition where prodigious talent co-occurs with developmental difficulties such as autism spectrum conditions (ASC). To better understand Savant skills, we previously proposed a link with synaesthesia: that Savant Syndrome may arise in ASC individuals who also happen to have synaesthesia. A second, unrelated claim is that people with autism may have higher rates of synaesthesia. Here we ask whether synaesthesia is indeed found more often in autism per se, or only in cases where autism co-occurs with Savant skills. People with autism in previous studies when tested for synaesthesia were not differentiated into those with and without Savant abilities. Here we tested three groups: people with autism who also have Savant skills (n = 40), people with autism without Savant skills (n = 34), and controls without autism (n = 29). We used a validated test to diagnose grapheme–colour synaesthesia. Results show a significantly higher prevalence of synaesthesia in people with ASC, but only those who also have Savant skills. This suggests that synaesthesia in autism is linked to those with Savant abilities rather than autism per se. We discuss the role of synaesthesia in the development of prodigious talent.
