The first scientific definition of Savant Syndrome was given by Dr. It was made by J. Langdon Down in 1887 in London. Although there are significant impairments in their mental abilities, the expression "idiot savant" (the origin of the name comes from the French word "Savoir", which means "wise") to describe individuals with extraordinary memory.
What is Savant Syndrome?
Savant Syndrome is a rare syndrome used for individuals who have mental or physical disabilities, including autistic diseases, and who have extraordinary abilities, mostly related to memory, that can contrast with these disabilities.
Autism and Savant What Is The Relationship With The Syndrome?
Not every individual with autism has Savant Syndrome. Also, not every individual with Savant Syndrome is autistic. Although it is a very rare condition, one out of every 10 autistic individuals has Savant Syndrome. While approximately half of individuals with mental retardation and other forms of developmental disability are autistic individuals, the remaining half are autistic individuals. It can be detected and diagnosed by delaying or detecting verbal or non-verbal communication with other people in emotional and social developments.
Savant Syndrome is often seen in individuals with autism. For this reason, the most common symptoms of autism can be listed as follows:
- Difficulty making eye contact with people, making eye contact in an unusual way for a very short time, or not making eye contact at all,
- Using little or no gestures while speaking, not being able to adjust the distance required by social environments well,
- Preferring to do many activities alone, which their peers mostly do with family members or friends,
- Extraordinary body (turning around, swaying in her seat) and making hand gestures (waving her hands, holding her hands in different ways),
- Lack of flexibility in behavior, inability to adapt to change
- Peers Difficulty in establishing friendships with people,
- Having difficulty learning to speak, having difficulty speaking a,
- Having difficulty in understanding what other people want to say, insinuations, jokes,
- Symptoms such as having trouble analyzing and understanding the emotions of the other person in relation to empathy can be listed.
What are the Causes of Savant Syndrome?
Until 2004, what causes Savant Syndrome was not known at all. According to research, the syndrome is thought to be caused by a gene or a change in genes. Although the cause is still unknown, individuals with autism are in the group with the highest probability of developing Savant Syndrome.
Savant Syndrome can be congenital as well as an acquired syndrome. In other words, it is present after birth and manifests itself in early childhood, or it may develop after a central nervous system or head trauma in infancy, childhood or adulthood. It is very exceptional that Savant skills are lost over time. On the contrary, Savant skills evolve or stay at the same level as they are used over time. The incidence of autism in boys is 4-5 times higher than in girls.
What are the Types of Savant Syndrome?
There are 3 types of Savant cases: Savants with fragmented abilities, Savants with talent, and Savants with extraordinary abilities. Individuals with Savant Syndrome almost always have extraordinary memories as well as these extraordinary abilities. It occurs in childhood with the addition of some developmental difficulties at birth. However, Savant Syndrome may develop at birth or may occur later. It has been reported that savant-like abilities emerge after frontotemporal dementia in healthy adult individuals.
What are Savant Syndrome Abilities?
Although individuals have a below-average intelligence level, they have extreme knowledge and extraordinary abilities in one or more areas. These abilities and skills, which develop due to Savant Syndrome, occur at different levels and effects in each individual. There may be various abilities such as memorizing information about history. These skills are broadly divided into 5 categories: art, music, calendar calculation, math, and mechanical or spatial skills.
Some individuals with Savant Syndrome can multiply and divide multi-digit numbers quickly in their heads, while others have the unusual ability to immediately answer the question "What day of the week is March 22, 1932" with "Tuesday". Some can play 22 instruments, some can calculate distances without using any measure or learn any language in a few days. Individuals with Savant Syndrome usually have only one specific skill; however, individuals with multiple Savant skills have also been observed in some rare cases.
How to Detect Savant Syndrome?
These extraordinary abilities of individuals enable the syndrome to be detected easily. These superior abilities are mostly related to memory.
Early diagnosis and related early treatment are very important in reducing autism symptoms and bringing individuals with autism into life. There is no concrete medical test for diagnosing autism and the consequent Savant Syndrome. The most important factor in its detection is the detection of the developmental disorder through observation. Observing whether there are differences in speech, socialization, and behavior in children compared to their peers is important for detecting the first suspicions about the disease.
What are Savant Syndrome Treatment Methods?
Savant Syndrome alone Since it is not a disease, the underlying disorders accompanying Savant Syndrome should be treated. Savant Syndrome is mostly similar to the treatment processes of concomitant central nervous system disorders such as autism and mental diseases such as brain damage. In Savant Syndrome, in addition to the treatment of existing diseases, Savant skills are developed and it is aimed to use and develop the person in the desired direction in personal, social and professional fields. In this way, it is thought that utilizing one's special abilities can help treat the underlying developmental disorders. underlying n. The most effective treatment method in autism, which is the most common among those who do, is special education. Individuals with autism should be educated in institutions that provide qualified education specially opened for these individuals. With an early and correct education process, an individual with autism can reach a level where he can continue his life in society.
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