Savant Syndrome in Autism

Savant syndrome is not a pathology, but a condition where patients with severe mental disorders demonstrate unusually brilliant genius in some specific area. For example, they may have a phenomenal memory or be great mathematicians and physicists. The syndrome received its name in honor of the scientist who described it.

Savant Syndrome in Autistic Children

Savant children are very rare. The frequency of its manifestation in modern medicine is 1 case in a million. This syndrome is also known among people with ASD. Usually, these individuals have advanced stages of the pathology, with severe mental retardation in all areas except one. Therefore, the term “Island of Geniality” is sometimes used to describe this condition. It means that outstanding talent is surrounded by a deep ocean of undeveloped everyday skills, unconsciousness, strange behavior, inability to think rationally, and lack of control over one’s actions.

Savant Syndrome: Symptoms and Features of Manifestation

Most often, “scientific” genius manifests itself in five areas:

• Art — painting in different forms
• Mathematics — arithmetic calculations, calendar counting skills
• Music — the ability to memorize music in detail, create music
• Phenomenal memory — remembering the smallest life events, various information
• Spatial orientation — the ability to confidently use a map even in an unfamiliar city

How Does Savant Syndrome Develop and Manifest in ASD?

Scientists are not sure what causes this pathology. Presumably, it is a consequence of congenital genetic disorders. It manifests itself in a special functioning of the brain, radically different from the functioning of the brain of normally developing people.

For example, they may have access to special, rarely processed low-level information stored in neurons. Most people do not have this access in a conscious state of mind.

Autistic savant children often have no corpus callosum, or it is severely damaged. This body is the connecting element between the two cerebral hemispheres. Such a connection between them is compensated in other ways, which allows continued interaction of different areas of the brain. Therefore, genius abilities can be surprisingly combined with severe mental retardation and the inability to self-care.

Correction of Childhood Autism with Savant Syndrome

This syndrome, in itself, is not a pathology, so it is not treated. However, therapy for the underlying condition that caused it is needed. It is very interesting that existing talent can be preserved after treatment, and it helps a child in further socialization.

The Mardaleishvili Medical Centre in Georgia offers effective treatment for childhood autism with stem cells, restoring the correct structure of the brain and forming proper neural connections. This method is a natural recreational therapy that does not harm the brain but helps fine-tune it and improve its functioning.

Preserve your child’s genius — undergo treatment for childhood autism spectrum disorder and help them become more confident in society!