Savant syndrome: the 5 most famous cases

If I told you that there are people capable of remembering the pages of 8,000 booksWould you say it is possible? And if on top of that, they have some type of mental alteration, even more impossible, right? Well, as incredible as it may seem, it is real. They are people who suffer from savant or wise man syndrome.

This people They suffer from mental disorders and physical, mental or motor disabilities, but “in exchange” they have incredible mental abilities. The cases that we present below support the hypothesis that a person with, for example, an autism spectrum disorder, may have an extremely prodigious cognitive ability.

Benjamin Rush described savant syndrome for the first time in 1789. He gave a patient who was able to estimate the age of people just by looking at them for a few seconds. Since then, The cases of “savantistas” have been very rare, barely a hundred have been detected. However, their unusual capabilities, precisely due to their rarity and the incredible milestones they make possible, never cease to amaze us.

Savant syndrome and its characteristics

It’s about a set of abnormal cognitive symptoms, which researcher Darold Treffert defines as a pathological state. People who suffer from it have a surprising specific mental ability or abilities. But, at the same time, they present mental disorders and/or physical disabilities.

In general, The most common Savant abilities focus on 4 main categories:

Art (music, painting and sculpture): They are usually brilliant musical performers (especially on the piano), painters and sculptors. Likewise, they tend to present innate abilities for understanding and interpreting music.Date calculation: Some Savants can memorize entire calendars and remember specific data regarding each of those days.Mathematical calculation: They perform complex mathematical calculations instantly and with enormous precision. For example, calculating prime numbers, decimals of pi or performing divisions with 100 decimals, all, of course, mentally.Mechanical and spatial skills: They have the ability to measure distances, almost exact, without any tools. They also build highly detailed models, memorize maps and directions, etc.

In addition to these abilities, there are others that are more unusual and generally more specific to the individual, such as ease of learning multiple languages, strong sharpening of the senses, perfect appreciation of the passage of time without the need for watchesetc.

Kim Peek: the inspiration for the movie Rain Man

It has been the most famous and prodigious case of this pathology. So much so that even Dustin Hoffman gave him life in the movie Rain Man. Kim’s case is amazing. She was born with macrocephaly, a permanent malformation in the cerebellum, and agenesis in the corpus callosum, a condition that hindered the connection between her hemispheres.

This made him a very dependent person, unable to perform basic tasks, like buttoning a shirt. However, she surprised the entire world with her prodigious intellectual abilities. She had one of the most extraordinary memories that science has been able to date.

He was able to learn nearly 8,000 books he had read and I could read two pages at the same time, one with each eye. Furthermore, he reproduced things having heard or read them only once. She came to know all the maps of the United States by heart, so that even if she had never taken a certain route, she could do it without the need for directions or signs.

His level of mental processing was impressive. But, on the other hand, his motor and cognitive limitations were also manifest. For example, he was unable to interpret a poem or infer conclusions from a work. He had no musical aptitude, however, If he heard a song, he could reproduce it by playing it on a piano without much difficulty.

Jason Padgett: acquired savant syndrome

Although this pathological state, as defined by researcher Darold Treffert, is congenital, Jason Padgett is an exception. He was not born with his abilities, but rather they came when he was 30 years old. It is one of those clinical cases that transform scientific paradigms and reveal how surprising the human mind can be.

Jason was a young man who was not very studious and was more concerned with having a good time with his friends. One night, while out with them, he was violently attacked. He suffered a concussion and, after going to the hospital and returning home, he realized that everything had changed.

On the one hand, he began to suffer from different disorders such as OCD, agoraphobia and depression. And on the other hand, savant syndrome led him to be a mathematical genius, despite the fact that before he was almost inept in this matter. He performed mental calculations and visualized reality through geometric patterns.

The doctors studied his condition and saw that, after suffering the concussion, some areas of the brain that remained inactive on a daily basis, With the blow they were activated to replace the damaged functions. Extraordinary, isn’t it?

Tony DeBlois: a prodigy musician

If Kim Peek’s musical ability was surprising, this child prodigy is no less. Tony DeBlois was born blind and with autism. His savant syndrome became evident at age 2, the age at which He started playing the piano without having received any type of class or instruction. And how!

From there, he learned to play twenty instruments and He knows nearly 8,000 pieces of music by heart. It is enough for this American to listen to a piece of music to be able to interpret it from memory on any of the instruments he plays. We leave you a video in which you can enjoy this virtuoso of art.

Stephen Wiltshire: an artist with a photographic memory

This English artist, now 43 years old, was diagnosed with severe autism when he was just 3. His interest in drawing led him to study at a London school, where began to express himself through his art. His brilliance soon came to light. He was able to paint landscapes and faces after an imaginary earthquake. His skill was amazing.

The most impressive thing about Wiltshire was not its artistic precocity, but its impressive and enviable visual memory. It is capable of drawing an image after only having seen it once, with precision and detail similar to that of a camera. Only one look is enough to reproduce it exactly and in scale on the canvas.

It’s funny how while 50% of those who suffer from savant syndrome have autism spectrum disordersonly 10% of them show these types of prodigious abilities.

George and Charles Finn: the calculating twins

In the 1960s in the United States, Two twins with Asperger’s were nicknamed “human calendars”. Even though his IQ was between 60 and 70 (close to intellectual disability), his abilities were spectacular. They were able to remember the weather and what happened any day in their life. Likewise, they were able to calculate what day of the week any date corresponds to. Up to dates of up to 40,000 years!

People who suffer from savant syndrome have surprising disabilities and abilities at the same time. Scientific hypotheses are in favor, for the moment, that such a special configuration has to do with these people They have a more developed right hemispherewhich makes them have such extraordinary talents.

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