Autism is the most common condition in a group of five developmental disorders known as pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). These include autism, Rhett’s syndrome, Childhood disintegrative disorder, Asperger’s syndrome and pervasive developmental disorders not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). These disorders are characterized by severe and pervasive impairments’ in several areas of development. All PDD’s are neurological disorders usually evident by age three. Their intelligence quotients average at approximately 50, as compared to the average 100.

Children with autism have difficulties with social interactions. They may fail to respond to their name and often avoid eye contact. These children start speaking later than others and may refer to themselves by name instead of “I” or “me”. They are also more likely to repeat words and reverse pronoun. Autistic individuals display many forms of restrictive behaviors, some of which include ritualistic behavior, compulsive behavior, resistance to change, etc.

Autism varies widely in its severity and symptoms. Scientists aren’t certain as to what causes autism. There are both environmental and genetic theories. Studies have shown several genes associated with autism, strongly suggesting some families may have a predisposition to autism. In families with one autistic child, the risk of having another child with the disorder is greater than for the general population, at about one in 20 (5%). Scientists are looking for a gene that might be responsible for this increase in susceptibility. In some cases, relatives of an autistic child show deficits in social and communicative skills as well as repetitive behavior. These syndrome is six time more likely to occur in men than in women. Other studies show that children with autism have abnormal levels of serotonin in several regions of their brain. This suggests that autism may arise very early in fetal development caused by defects in genes that control brain growth and regulate communication between neurons. Also the theory of prenatal practices being responsible for autism has not been disapproved.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has shown several neurological differences in the autistic brain. Brain weight and volume tend to be greater in children with autism. Some neural structures in the limbic system, which include the hippocampus and amygdale, contain nerve cells that are not mature and have not migrated to their proper locations in the brain. Loss in Purkinje cells and their connection to the cerebellum have been noted, impeding several aspects of motor function. These are thought to be the result of genetic disorders during the late stages of brain differentiation, based on animal and twin studies. There is no cure for autism. For many individuals, autism symptoms can improve with treatment and age. Those, whose language skills regress before the age of three, appear to be at greater risk of developing epilepsy or seizure-like brain activity. Some children with autism may become depressed or experience behavioral problems during adolescence.

Savant syndrome describes a person who, in spite of having mental or developmental retardation has an extraordinary mental ability not found in most people. Only about 100 people have been described as savants and only about 25 are living today. There is no generally accepted theory of how savants do what they do. This condition is congenital or acquired following a central nervous system injury or disease, occurring in males more often than in females. Savant skills involve considerable feats of memory. Some of these skills include memorization, calendar ability in which the person has the ability to identify the day of the week in which a particular date falls no matter the year; music ability having perfect pitch and being able to play a particular piece of music after hearing just once; artistic ability and the ability to make calculations at the speed of light. Psychologists Allan Snyder and D. John Mitchell from the Center for the Mind at The Australian National University in Canberra believe that savant skills are the manifestation of the brain processes that happen within all of us, all the time, but are usually swamped by more sophisticated conceptual cognition.

Its strong link to autism offers a good starting point to understanding savant syndrome. Savant syndrome is usually recognized during early childhood with other developmental abnormalities. The majority of the cases occur in children with autism. As well as in autism, there are several theories as to why this happens. There’s the biological-developmental theory which suggests genetic, neurochemical, and left brain hemisphere dysfunction as well as frontal and temporal lobe damage. Some non-autistic individuals, like Kim Peek’s, who’s the basis for the 1988 film Rain Man, lack the corpus callosum. There are also cognitive theories such as deficits in executive function and abstract thinking. There is no evidence today to support any of the theories on savant syndrome.

Autistic savant refers to individuals with autism who exhibit extraordinary skills. This is one of the most fascinating cognitive phenomena in psychology today. Historically this individuals where called “idiot savants” or “wise fools”. In a 1978 article in Psychology Today, Dr. Bernard Rimland introduced the term “autistic savant”. Savant abilities in autism are found in 10% of cases.

According to Snyder and Mitchell’s theory, savant skills are hidden in non-autistic people as they grow up because of a shift in the way we process information. This shift appears to be slow or incomplete in autistic children and their savant processing style may be preserved. Those who with time are able to make the change may consequently lose their abilities. Many have suggested that savant skills are a product of a dominant right brain hemisphere that has flourished in the absence of effective communication or inhibition by the left.

Dr. Eric Courchesne believes that the inability to shift attention in a timely manner is associated with the VII and VI lobules of the cerebellum being significantly reduced in size in children with autism. This reduction is thought to be the result of environmental or genetic conditions during fetal development. The inability to alter the focus of their attention is also related to their ability to direct all their attention to one activity. Dr. Rimland speculates that these individuals have extraordinary concentration abilities and can therefore focus their complete attention to a specific area of interest. This obsession with a certain sense is the cause of loss of skill in the left brain. Recent studies show that the most likely cause of savant syndrome is damage to the left CNS and higher memory structures. Prenatal CNS damage is often caused by the release of testosterone, which is neurotoxic, as the left brain takes longer to develop than the right brain. This leads to other forms of expression as the right brain compensates for the brain where language capabilities are reduced. Were it not for the presence of developmental delays within the brain, their talents would more likely never touch their lives at a conscious level.

Laurent Mottron, at the University of Montreal, gave both autistic and normal kids two of the most popular IQ test used in schools: the WISC, which relies heavily on language and Raven’s Progressive Matrices, which is the preeminent test of “fluid intelligence”. The results showed the autistic kids’ true intelligence by bypassing the language deficit.

It is suggested that as babies, all humans possess savant like abilities. Through the exploration of the structure of the autistic brain and imaging of the activity of the savant brain, scientists have begun to recognize the patterns responsible for this syndrome. Today, Snyder is planning an experiment in which he hopes the unconscious savant on a person can be unleashed at the flick of a switch, by interfering normal brain activity with magnetic pulses. If his theory is correct and he can find the specific area of the brain, this would cause pre-conscious savant skills to burst into consciousness. Snyder says “I’m thinking of trying it on myself first. If I start to get crystal clear pictures of my childhood or a sudden knowledge of prime numbers I’ll really know I’m onto something”.

References
Association for Psychological Sciences. (2007, August 5). The matrix of autism. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 28, 2008, from .

Carter, R. (1999, October 9). Autistic savants: tune in and off. New Scientist, 2207. United Kingdom. Retrieved October 28 2008, from .

DeBlois, J. and Felix, A. (2005). Some kind of genius: The extraordinary journey of musical savant Tony DeBlois. Rodale. Retrived October 27, 2008, from .

Eldeson, S. M. (1995). Autistic savant. Center for the study of autism. Salem, Oregon. Retrieved October 28, 2008, from .

Hiles, D. (2002). Savant syndrome. De Montfort University. Liecester, UK. Retrieved October 27, 2008, from .

Muir, H. (2003, May 3). Did Einstein and Newton have autism?. New Scientist, 178. London, UK. Retrieved October 28, 2008, from
.

Shah, S. (2008). Autism and savant syndrome. Bryn Mawr College. Retrieved October 29, 2008, from .

Treffert, D. A. (2008). The autistic savant. Wisconsin Medical Society. Retrieved October 28, 2008, from . Treffert, D. A. (2008). Head size, Autism and (?) savant syndrome. Wisconsin Medical Society.Retrieved October 29, 2008, from