Savant Sindfrome

INTRODUCTION

This paper is a review of findings, significant psychological functioning of those diagnosed Syndrome with savant, combining low cognitive functioning (mental retardation usually moderate to severe), with one or more, exceptional skills or in areas relatively common, such as an outstanding musical talent or artistic ability exceptional or extraordinary in specific and restrictedareas, such as the ability to perform very complex calculations of dates calendar with an amazing degree of accuracy. the paper describes the syndrome, and discusses the crucial role it plays in their study current theories on intelligence.










I. DEFINITION

The savant syndrome combines a low cognitive functioning (mental retardation usually moderate to severe),with one or more exceptional skills. So far, the nature of talent, described in these patients has been extremely varied. The most common are the musical talent of mathematical calculation skills, talent art, poetry, exceptional memory, hyperlexia, or other talents. However, sometimes these talents consist of skills extremely isolated and whose origin is extremely specific, difficult to explain,for example, there are cases of subjects incapable of calculate the daily return for a purchase, but are able to respond, with extraordinary speed and accuracy to questions like: "What day of the week was on 12 March 1930 ", or" what day is on 20 June 2,059?” The prevalence of this syndrome is one in 2,000 people with cognitive deficits, while the incidence increases to one of in 10 autisticsubjects, so that there is a remarkable partnership between savant syndrome and autism.










II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The first description of savant syndrome, or idiot savant, is dates back to 1789, when Benjamin Rush which describes the skills a psychiatric patient can calculate the age of a person in seconds.
Almost 100 years later, J. Langdon Down in 1887used the term
idiot savant, to describe the co-occurrence in some individuals of a
low overall cognitive functioning with a specific skill above the average. Finally, in 1943, Leo Kanner, the first report on autism
mentions "the amazing vocabulary, excellent memory, and the precise
recollection of complex patterns and sequences indicates good intelligence " in some autistic subjects.Thus, for almost 200 years the study of this amazing disorder has been addressed only through case studies isolated, and it was not until 1983 that we have undertaken the first systematic experiments to determine possible causes and prevalence autistic savant phenomenon. Thus, the diachronic analysis of the care you have received this syndrome by psychology and medicine in recent years we photograph asyndrome of low prevalence in the population general, it has not been traditionally efforts
researchers. However, recently, new approaches to sponsored study of intelligence by Howard Gardner, have made the explanation for this syndrome has become an almost indispensable element to explain or define intelligence, so that, paradoxically, the study of this small population of savant has become areal headache for the theorists of intelligence, they should try to fit into the puzzle of cognitive functioning in the general population , the pattern of a small group with a very particular mind: able to perform cognitive feats in mathematics, music, poetry, etc. but sometimes unable to remember the names of familiar objects, or unable to function independently in daily life.


III.EXPLANATIONS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AUTISM AND SAVANT SYNDROME.

An investigation to study the origin of the association between these two syndromes has raised at least two possible scenarios complementary

• First there is the possibility that the concern obsessive to a particular matter (the calendar, music, drawing, ...) can over-develop useful skills for that matter, but not...