Savant Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome in Children and Adults

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Recommended: Compare and contrast asperger’s syndrome with asd. what are the key similarities? differences

Autism is a neurological abnormality that affects many different people in a number of ways. There are no symptoms that specifically define the disorder, but there are so many different symptoms that it is hard to diagnose. Sometimes the disorder can be so severe, that the person has a hard time functioning in society normally, but sometimes they can be mild, causing only some social complications for the person. Asperger’s, a milder case of autism, can sometimes have symptoms that are not so severe, causing the person to appear almost normal. Savant syndrome is people who have more severe symptoms, but have extraordinary talents. In popular culture, the end of the spectrum is shown, such as in the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time written by Mark Haddon, and the movie Rain Man. The characters Christopher and Raymond help to paint a picture of Savant autism and Asperger’s with their similarities and differences.
There is no way to official way to diagnose children with autism. “Professionals who specialize in autism—child psychiatrists, child psychologists, developmental pediatricians, and pediatric neurologists—will observe the child's behavior, social contacts, and communication skills. They will assess mental and social skills and develop a detailed history of the child's behavior. Some doctors ask parents to bring in videotapes of the child at home. Photo albums and other records may help in identifying time sequences.” (Polsdofer, “Diagnosis of Autism”). This is why in the first 36 months of life, children are screened and go for routine well visits, to make sure they are hitting all of the typical milestones. Even though they may appear to be fine as a child, the symptoms of their condition may not c...

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...mpletely accurate, it shows the general public that it is something that people can live with. Sometimes parents are scared their children are going to be diagnosed with autism, but these two works show it is possible and gives people peace of mind. Christopher and Raymond are two very special people who open the eyes of and inspire many people.

Works Cited

Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. New York:
Doubleday, 2003. Print.
Hiles, David. “Savant Syndrome”. n.p, 2002. Web. April 1 2014.

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Asperger’s Syndrome Definition”. Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 1998.
Web. 1 April 2014.
Polsdorfer, Ricker. “Symptoms of Autism”. Bowdiges. EBSCO, 2006. Web. 2 April
2004.

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