Savant Syndrome
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Savant syndrome is a condition where a person with mental disabilities has an extraordinary ability or talent. About 10% of people who have autism also have Savant syndrome, and less than 1% of people who do not have autism have Savant syndrome.
Causes
Savant syndrome can be a condition that a person is born with, but it can also be developed later on in life. One cause of Savant syndrome is head trauma/injury on the left hemisphere of the brain.
Savant Skills
The skills of people who have Savant syndrome include special abilities in music, art, math, and memorization of certain topics.
Types of Savant Abilities
There are three types of savant abilities: splinter skills, which are a preoccupation or memorization of music and sports trivia, license plate numbers, etc. These are the most common savant abilities.
The next type is called talented savant, and it is used to describe savants who have special abilities in music, art, or another area.
The last and rarest type is called prodigious savant. This term is for savants who have a skill so remarkable that it would be considered amazing even if a non-impaired person had that skill, such as reading two pages of a book at once.
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