More often than not, the most startling capabilities of the human brain are exposed precisely when anatomical, or physiological, deficiencies take place. Take, for instance, savants - people who have mental abilities that could only be characterized as superhuman but otherwise severely disabled in daily cognitive functions and social interaction. At first sight Michael (Mikey), seems like an average seven year old boy; he’s slim, of short stature, with big almond-shaped green eyes. Mikey rarely speaks, and the atypical occasions, in which he does, it is to hum the sound of a nearby bird. Yet Mikey is everything but average; in fact he’s an extraordinary boy. Being only seven Mikey plays the piano, the organ, the violin, and the cello. His prodigious memory is palpable by the Vivaldi, Mozart, and Beethoven precise replicas played out of memory, as well as his exceptional ability to recall all capitals of the world. He likes order, prefers solitude, and is intrigued by musical symbols. He feels music, smells colors, and sees sounds, a rare neurological phenomenon known as Synesthesia1. Neuropsychologist Dr. J. Shea Ph.D MD, at Mount Sinai Medical Center, in 2004, diagnosed Mikey,—four at the time— as an Autistic Savant, changing the complete course of his life, that of his mother, and bringing to Florida its first prodigy. To understand Mikey’s condition as an Autistic Savant, the pathophysiology, symptomology, theories, and treatment of both Autism and Savantism must be discussed. In addition, the differences between Savantism,—a syndrome—and Autism—a neurodevelopmental disorder—will be thoroughly examined as both a psychological, and a neurological deficit; and moreover, the standards, statistics, and theories of intelligence wil...
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...y, I could only hope he never stops gracing the keys of a piano.
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Rationalism and empiricism were two philosophical schools in the 17th and 18th centuries, that were expressing opposite views on some subjects, including knowledge. While the debate between the rationalist and empiricist schools did not have any relationship to the study of psychology at the time, it has contributed greatly to facilitating the possibility of establishing the discipline of Psychology. This essay will describe the empiricist and rationalist debate, and will relate this debate to the history of psychology.
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Recent studies have increasingly shown that left hemisphere dysfunction with right hemisphere compensatory process is an important component in many cases involving savant syndrome including savants with autistic disorder. Savant syndrome can be established from birth or acquired after a brain injury or disease in infancy, childhood, or adulthood. Researchers find it very interesting when savant-like skills are gained by people who were previously nondisabled but acquired after a central nervous system injury or disease. With this in mind, it raises the possibility of all the hidden potential, possibly within all of us, in which a person could have and that could lead to a major discovery in the brain that scientists would use for the future.
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Immense knowledge and expertise is something that everyone spends their whole lives gaining, but for some it comes much easier than others. In the case of savants, their special skills are often far superior to any skills of normal people and have amazed the world to this day. Through years of study since the first documented case, researchers have come to understand the enhanced perceptions and pattern usage, relations to autism and differing types of abilities that is present savant syndrome enough to recognize certain patterns and distinctions these extraordinary people display.
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