Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired, and Sudden Savant

by Darold A. Treffert, Daniel Tammet (Foreword)

In this fascinating book, Dr. Treffert looks at what we know about savant syndrome, and at new discoveries that raise interesting questions about the hidden brain potential within us all. He looks both at how savant skills can be nurtured, and how they can help the person who has them, particularly if that person is on the autism spectrum.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science, Autistic Spectrum Disorder

329 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2010

Reviews

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

After watching the movie Rainman and then viewing a number of documentaries featuring savants and those who possess savant like qualities, I've always wondered if the savant's existence is evidence that these prodigious abilities are something that is present in us all, but simply inaccessible. It is an idea that Treffert explores in great detail throughout this comprehensive book on the savant syndrome.

A brief summary of the book: Treffert starts by introducing us to the term savant, defining savant syndrome and the savant spectrum, drawing distinctions between those who have autism and those who do not. He also, to the extent he can given the many unknowns surrounding the syndrome and limited population available for study,explains some of the current theories about the savant's special abilities and offers a few of his own.

He then spends a significant amount of time showcasing a number of savants, summarizing their personal stories, emphasizing repeatedly the importance of nurturing their special gift rather than simply trying to address the disability, which his extensive work performed over a lifetime has convinced him is the best approach. He repeatedly claims that in the savants he has dealt with strengthening the ability almost always leads to an improvement in the disability but not necessarily the other way around.

He finishes by further exploring the implications of having savants among us, not just those who were "born" that way, but also those who later acquire their abilities. Like the man who suddenly develops prodigious calendar abilities after getting hit on the head, enabling him to remember dates in the past along with a detailed description of the weather, or the individual who becomes an accomplished artist/musician despite no formal training after the onset of dementia, or the woman who suffers a concussion and awakes to find she now speaks with an accent from a country she's never visited. All these bizarre stories suggest we have amazing abilities that exist in us all, except we don't know how to tap into them.

Each section and chapter reads as if a stand alone piece, some actually contributed by other authors, and thus accounts for some of the repetition that others have commented on negatively. Personally, it didn't bother me because I find that in books like this, it's not uncommon.

And there's so much more.

What I enjoyed most:. The savant phenomena further confirms the complex nature of our brain and suggests our potential is unknown even to us. Viewed in conjunction with a slew of other brain books/brain science, I found much of the book and commentary to be extremely thought-provoking and intriguing. What if??? and If...then how???

He also mentions the different types of intelligence vs. just I.Q. and goes on to discuss how the brain is not a clean slate at birth. Instead, he suggests as others have that we are born with many inherited capabilities that include a proclivity and, in some cases, an intuition and natural set of skills for things like music, art, and math.

It seems to me his position on "training the talent" has a universal application and isn't limited to the autistic or savant individual. I've often wondered if in our attempts to "standardize" and "mass educate" we don't sometimes by default ignore the special talents we are all born with, ultimately weakening those abilities and maybe even causing us to lose them.

Lots of fascinating stuff here that goes way beyond the savant/autistic individual.

My final thoughts: We continue to learn more about the brain, how it functions, and its capabilities by studying what happens when a brain is thought to be diseased or otherwise damaged. In the case of the savant, the damage seems to unlock some amazing hidden potential.

Ultimately the presence of savants among us begs the questions, "Are these talents latent in all of us?" and if so, "Can we access/tap into them without losing something?"

Would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the savant syndrome specifically or brain science in general. Like most books that discuss topics in the infancy of their understanding, they ultimately ask more questions than they answer, which only make them more exciting.

As a plus, the author goes out of his way to provide additional links and sources, including the savantsyndrome.com site, for those interested in the ideas and topics being discussed. Makes me wish I had Kim Peek's(the famous savant who inspired Rainman), incredible ability to read with both my left and right eyes simultaneously (8-10 pages/minute) and memorize over 12,000 books.

[Abdulmajeed · Rating 5 out of 5]

يجمع المؤلف هنا خبرة خمسين سنة في التعامل مع أفراد متلازمة العباقرة .

في القسم الأول ، يحاول التعرف عن الآليات العقلية التي تفسّر تلازم العجز والمعجزة عند هؤلاء المرضى ، فيبن أن أفراد متلازمة العباقرة لديهم خلل في الجانب الأيسر من الدماغ ( كأفراد مرضى التوحد ) ، فيقوم الدماغ بعملية التسهيل الوظيفي المعاكس "paradoxical functional facilitation
"
فتثار بذلك الطاقات الكامنة في الجانب الأيمن من الدماغ .
ويطرح كذلك المؤلف مفهوم الذاكرة الوراثية "genetic memory " ، ليفسر بها تلك المعلومات والمهارات التي تظهر بدون سابق تدريب أو تعلم عليها عند أفراد متلازمة العباقرة ، فيفترض أننا كما نرث صفاتنا الجسدية وقابليتنا للأمراض من الآباء ، فهناك جينات تورث المعلومات وتظل كامنة حتى تثار.

وفي القسم الثاني ، يعرض الجانب اليومي من سير العباقرة ، ويظهر هنا جانب عاطفي كبير في تعامل الأهل مع عجز أطفالهم وقدراتهم الخاصة .

ويعرض في المتبقي من الكتاب عن العبقرية المكتسبة التي تظهر عند إصابة الجانب الأيسر من الدماغ ، وكذلك العبقرية المفاجئة التي تظهر فجأة بدون إصابة ، يستعرض بعض قصصهم مع عجز العلم حتى الان تقديم تفسير واضح لهذه الحالات .

[SundayAtDusk · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading an ARC of Islands of Genius three times, I went to my local library to request they get a copy of the book. All public libraries should have a copy of this book. Because it is an education. It is also an inspiration. And it is one of the most fascinating books I have ever, ever read.

What Dr. Treffert does primarily in Islands of Genius is explore the world of savants. He has worked with and researched servants since 1962. Not only does he share his 48 years of interaction, observations and research with the reader, he also tells the individual stories of over 15 well known savants--including Kim Peek, who was the inspiration for the Rain Man. (The book is dedicated to Kim Peek, who died in December 2009, and his father, Fran Peek.) Moreover, there are three chapters in the book written by teachers of special needs children, describing their methods for teaching art, music and math. Also, there is an appendix listing 15 books about savant syndrome and specific savants, as well as 11 books written by savants.

Next, Dr. Treffert explores acquired savant behavior, sudden savant behavior, and "neurotypical persons with savant-like skills". I must confess, I found those topics even more interesting than the savants. Individuals who acquire savant like behavior do so after an illness or injury that affects the central nervous system. He tells the story of a 10-year-old boy hit in the head by a baseball, who wakes up knowing how to perform calendar calculations. (If you don't know what calendar calculation is, as I did not, you are in for a wild read.) Plus, the stories of people who, after acquiring "fronto-temporal dementia", suddenly, for the first time in their life, develop an intense interest in art, and start creating extraordinary paintings. Or individuals who, after having strokes or head injuries, start writing poetry or composing music, or start talking with a foreign accent, or speaking in a foreign language, from a country they have never even visited. The latter is known as "xenoglossy". (Those who have read Dr. Ian Stevenson's work are familiar with that topic.)

Then, there are those individuals , who have no disabilities, or have had no CNS illness or injury, who can do astounding things. For example, people who have "hyperthymestic syndrome" can remember what happened almost every day of their life. And some individuals can read backwards. Or they can write with both hands at the same time, in two different languages. Or, there are those with "synesthesia", who "see" words or sounds, "taste" music, or "smell" colors. Others can do astonishing things with all the letters in the conversations they hear, or with numbers. In addition, some individuals mentioned in the book, who were beginner students in music, suddenly fully understood music, as if they have been studying it their whole life, and then started playing and composing complex works of music.

How is it the savants and the non-savants can do all those beyond belief things? According to Dr. Treffert, they can because of "genetic memory". He proposes that "stored in each of us" is "a generous amount of genetically inherited, factory-installed software for certain skills and abilities, along with considerable genetically transferred knowledge itself, unconsciously remembered". He further states that his description of genetic memory "does not include reincarnation, mysticism, existential ruminations, transcendentalism or paranormal phenomena".

When one thinks about it, however, genetic memory is just a theory. Savants no more prove there is such a thing as genetic memory, than they prove there is such a thing as reincarnation. Of course, many who believe in reincarnation do see savants as souls who are remembering their past life skills in art, math, music, etc. And it's interesting to note that it is often at the ages of 3-4 that savant skills suddenly manifest themselves in children, which are also the ages that children often start talking about past life memories, according to those who have studied past life memories of children. Yet what would be the reason for incarnating as a savant? They have extraordinary talents, but also terrible disabilities that keep most of them from living independent lives. Is it possibly just karma? If so, what type of karma would get one the life of a savant?

For those who firmly believe in reincarnation, don't let Dr. Treffert's disbelief in your beliefs stop you from reading this book. He does not appear to be spitting out the word "reincarnation". In fact, at one point in Islands of Genius, he told how he was harshly criticized for once reporting in a journal article that parents and other observers of savants had reported paranormal abilities, including ESP. He stated: "Thus my merely reporting that there were such reports engendered censure from the scientific community". There is plenty in this book to feed your mind with all sorts of ideas about savants and reincarnation. Although, if you are not secure in your beliefs, then watch out--you might start believing in genetic memory instead. :)

One more metaphysical topic I couldn't help thinking about while reading Islands of Genius was near-death experiences. Those individuals who suddenly acquire intense interest in music or art or writing, after having a CNS illness or injury, remind me so much of the experiences of some individuals who have had NDEs. After seeing what's on the other side of the tunnel when they were medically dead, they often return to life desperately wanting to describe or recreate what they saw and heard, but find it verbally hard to do so. Thus, they passionately turn to music or art or poetry. One of the people who acquired savant skills mentioned in Dr. Treffert's book was a surgeon who was struck by lighting, and had an "intense near-death experience", after which he became obsessed with playing and composing classical music. Also, those who have had NDEs sometimes say they "knew everything", while on "the other side". And they often come back with psychic abilities.

This poses the interesting question: Are all the wonderful memories and skills Dr. Treffert believes are stored in the brain, compliments of genetic memory, actually instead stored in the soul? Or are they stored in both? Does the brain, due to illness or injury, rewire itself in a way that brings up stored soul skills and memories? Or does the soul rewire the brain so stored skills and memories come up, in order to make life better or more interesting for the soul during a given lifetime? Is it possible a savant's soul may find itself so bored or so distressed due to the disabilities in that lifetime, that the soul goes searching for either past life or "spirit world" skills in order to have something to excel in, or simply something interesting to do to pass the time?

See, even if you're way more metaphysically inclined, instead of scientifically inclined, Islands of Genius can still create all kinds of interesting thoughts in your mind . . . or brain . . . or soul . . . or wherever thoughts are actually created and stored. The book is as extraordinary as the people in it. It is also easy to read and easy to understand; has interesting paintings, pictures and poems; has over 200 references; a subject index and an author index. You've also got to love a guy who says things like: "It has been said that when an old person dies, it is as if a library just burned down. Gone are all the collective knowledge, wisdom and recollections of that person." Moreover, you must admire a man who cares so deeply and fights so hard for individuals who cannot fight for themselves.

(Note: I received a free ARC of this book from Amazon Vine.)

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned of this book from a fiction book I read about a man who acquires savant abilities after an incident involving and MRI and an earthquake... I'll put the title in once I remember it. ****Brainrush by Richard Bard****

THIS book was interesting, but took me a long time to read as it wasn't particularly exciting.

Not that you'd expect a book like this to be exciting. It's just that the other books I kept reading instead were a lot more mentally stimulating.

Really comprehensive coverage of savant syndrome, with heaps of fascinating case studies, which were good to just pick up and read one at a time.

It was quite astonishing to learn just what the human brain is capable of.

My biggest gripe would be that the author would just quote the medical descriptions verbatim as though the reader suddenly had acquired the ability to recognise all the parts of the brain and their functions. Would have been fine if it had been summarised afterwards, but that happened only once or twice.

Loads of references to websites etc that I will look into further.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is more a collection of essays than a single coherent work. It can be somewhat repetitive in places, and the writing varies from scientific with citations to simple anecdotal tributes about savants Treffert has known. Overall, though, it is informative and thought-provoking.

[Shaima Almarzooqi · Rating 5 out of 5]

حالاتها الغريبة زادت الاهتمام العالمي بها
العبقرية قد تكون إعاقة

دبي - شيماء المرزوقي:
لفترة طويلة من الزمن كانت العبقرية حالة نادرة وغامضة وعلى هامش اهتمامات العلماء والأطباء، لكنها في العصر الحديث أخذ الاهتمام بها يتزايد وباتت محل رصد وتحليل، وبدأت محاولات متواصلة تهدف لفهم غموض التعقيد في دماغ الإنسان وعلى مختلف الصعد البحثية . وكان تزايد قصص وحالات غريبة جداً غير مبررة علمياً سبباً في نمو مثل هذا الاهتمام وبات واضحاً أن هذا الحقل يحتاج للمزيد من الدراسة والبحث، من تلك القصص أن ترى طفلاً يتحدث لغة لم يسمع بها أبداً أو طفلة مصابة بإعاقة ذهنية وبمتلازمة "داون" حاصلة على جوائز عالمية في برمجة الحاسب الآلي، وفتى فاقد البصر ومصاباً بمرض التوحد لكن لديه قدرة هائلة على الحفظ، وأخرى تكاد إجاباتها السريعة جداً والخاطفة في المسائل الحسابية لا تصدق، وحالات كثيرة من الأطفال حول العالم لديهم قدرات ذهنية خارقة للعادة بكل ما تعني الكلمة، وحتى هذا العصر لم تجد مثل هذه القصص تفسيراً علمياً يوضح سببها .
كتاب "جزر العبقرية" لمؤلفه الدكتور دارولد تريفيرت، وهو أستاذ الطب النفسي بجامعة وسكنسون، وهو معروف على مستوى العالم بأبحاثه في عقول المصابين بمتلازمة العباقرة النادرة، يسبر أغوار هذا الحقل الشائك ويحاول تقديم نظريات وإجابات علمية منطقية . أمضى المؤلف ما يقارب 47 عاماً منغمساً في عالم العباقرة، محاولاً الكشف عنها وعن أدمغة أصحابها وأدوارهم في المجتمع وإبداعاتهم العلمية والفنية وحتى الاقتصادية، لذا ستجد بين دفتي الكتاب قصصهم المثيرة جداً، هؤلاء الأشخاص الفريدون ذوو القدرات الرهيبة والمدهشة والذين يكون بعضهم إما مصاباً بالتوحد أو بالتخلف العقلي، أو اكتسب تلك القدرات المخفية نتيجة إصابة عرضية أو بسبب مرض في الجهاز العصبي .
القسم الأول من الكتاب حمل عنوان "العقل في متلازمة العباقرة"، وخلاله تحدث عن هذه الحالات النادرة والمثيرة، وكيف جاءتهم هذه القدرات العقلية، وكذلك عن الاكتشافات الحديثة فضلاً عن تخصيصه لفصل عن الذاكرة الوراثية وآخر عن الأسرار الطبية وفرط التذكر . وفي القسم الثاني، تحت عنوان "العالم في متلازمة العباقرة"، يعرض الجانب اليومي من سير العباقرة، ويظهر هنا جانب عاطفي كبير في تعامل الأهل مع عجز أطفالهم وقدراتهم الخاصة وأعمالهم الفنية، كما خصص جزءاً لا بأس به للحديث عن العبقرية المكتسبة التي تظهر عند إصابة الجانب الأيسر من الدماغ، وكذلك العبقرية التي تظهر فجأة من دون التعرض لإصابة، واستعرض بعض القصص مع عجز العلم حتى الآن عن تقديم تفسير واضح لهذه الحالات . وفي القسم الثالث من الكتاب وتحت عنوان "أبعاد جديدة في فهم متلازمة العباقرة"، تحدث عن النبوغ بالصدفة العبقرية المكتسبة، والعبقرية المفاجئة تجلي الموهبة، والعبقرية الطبيعية مهارات كامنة في كل واحد منا والدخول إلى العبقرية الداخلية لدينا، والدماغ الخصب . في القسم الرابع، وكان تحت عنوان: "تدريب الموهبة"، تحدث المؤلف عما يجب فعله عندما نواجه طفلاً أو بالغاً لديه مهارات متلازمة العباقرة الخاصة، وهو فصل مهم للآباء والأمهات الذين يبدأون حديثهم ب "لدي ابن أو ابنة لديها . ."، ثم يصفون الطفل الذي غالباً ما يكون مصاباً بالتوحد أو بإعاقات أخرى، والتي تقدم مع هذه الإعاقات قدرات عقلية واضحة ومشابهة لقدرات متلازمة العباقرة، في مختلف المجالات الحياتية سواء في الموسيقى أو الرياضيات أو المجالات الميكانيكية والأهم من ذلك كيفية التعامل معها، في هذا القسم قدم دارولد، إجابات عن جميع الأسئلة التي قد تتبادر للذهن ومعها نصائح علمية وتلميحات مهمة اكتسبها من خبراء في تعليم الأطفال من ذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة والمهارات الخاصة .
وفي القسم الخامس وتحت عنوان: "رحلة العبقرية بدأت للتو" قال المؤلف: كانت السنوات الأخيرة من القرن العشرين تركز على تقدم الأمراض القلبية وعلاجها ومعرفتها، ومن ضمنها عمليات نقل القلب والتي لم تتصور في السابق، وعلى هذا الأساس يمكن أن نطلق على هذه السنوات "زمن القلب" وفي المقابل، ومن دون شك فإن السنوات القادمة في القرن الحادي والعشرين سوف تكون "زمن العقل" هذا الجزء المعقد والهائل والمدهش والمنيع في جسم الإنسان .
وبما أن الدماغ أكثر الأعضاء تعقيداً في جسم الإنسان، فمؤكد أن هناك خفايا وأسراراً لم تكتشف عنه بعد، لا يمكن إدخال منظار إليه كما هو الحال في الجهاز الهضمي وأغلب أجهزة الجسم ولا يمكن أخذ عينة من النسيج مثل الأعضاء الأخرى، وباستمرار هناك وسائل جديدة تتطور مع الوقت، ومن ضمنها التصوير بالرنين المغناطيسي والتصوير السيني للدماغ لمشاهدته أثناء العمل، وبهذا المعنى رحلتنا للفهم الكامل لوظائف الدماغ قد بدأت للتو، والرحلة أمامنا .
جاء الكتاب في 382 صفحة من القطع الكبير معه أسطوانة فيها مادة فيديو تشرح أهميته وتساعد على فهم محتواه، وقام المترجم بندر محمد الحربي، بنقله إلى اللغة العربية، وهو من منشورات الدار العربية للعلوم ناشرون .
Shaima.author@hotmail.com
www.shaimaalmarzooqi.com

http://www.alkhaleej.ae/mob/detailed/...

[Yasmin Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Islands of Genius is an enlightening journey into the breadth and depth of Savant Syndrome through scientific evidence and case studies from the authors wealth of experience as a psychiatrist specialising in the epidemiology of Savant syndrome in autism.

Treffert presents an intriguing argument that the evidenced existence of unlearnt knowledge in music, art, mathematical ability, literature and so on, in people with Savant Syndrome or a prodigious ability, is indicative of genetic memory that is present in us all.

The author goes on to ask if people with a learning disability, CNS injury,dementia or other condition that inhibits left-brain function and stimulates right-brain function (a common factor in Savant sydrome cases), can access a reservoir of information stored in their DNA, is it possible for neurotypical people to access the same through conscious right-brain stimulus?

Genetic memory and epigenetics are complicated fields of study and Treffert introduces us to the lived examples of this in an accessible way. Meeting people in the book, like Kim Peek, Alonzo Clemons and the larger than life Temple Grandin, is an enriching experience. There are plenty of references to direct you to films about the people you are introduced to in the case studies, making this book a very interactive tool and bringing the pages to life.

The content is greater than the written style. Many parts of the book are repetitive. It could be a lot more concise and would probably be more powerful if it were edited down.

The case histories are integral to introduce you to some very important people, but they are all approached with the same success story formula which becomes predictable and, unfortunately, less impactful. They tend to reduce the people they describe to their savant ability and the positive effect of that skill in their life, always with the support of a loving family. It gives the impression that the author is extracting the information they need to convey a strongly-held belief or argument, rather than letting the information speak for itself.

Because of this, the book is a little too prescribed. After the first five cases, you hear the author’s message loud and clear but you do not get to know the individuals themselves in any other way, which keeps you at a distance from the person behind the condition.

However, the subject matter of this book is highly valuable and the concepts that it posits are not only brilliant in themselves theoretically, but they can, do and should be ever more applied to uncovering vast, untapped oceans of diverse intelligences and abilities and potential for human development.

Islands of Genius is a living thing and when you absorb the ideas within it, you feel inspired and compelled to share its capacity to make you think and its humbling attention to the people who grace its pages and for that I am incredibly grateful to its author. Read it.

[Robert Nolin · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the start, back in the late 1800's, psychology has concerned itself with maintaining the mental status quo, studying those who are considered abnormal for clues to how the brain works. For Treffert, "savants" are a tantalizing glimpse of human potential. A "savant" is someone who is disabled yet has some superpower like being able to memorize pages at a glance, etc. Without evidence, Treffert again and again states his "belief" that there is a "hidden savant" within all of us. Surely there is a way to unlock this capacity without having to suffer brain damage or a low IQ.

Treffert loved to take his savants on television shows. 60 Minutes, Regis and Kathy Lee, That's Incredible. He was the "consultant" for the movie Rain Man, and says that the Raymond Babbitt character (Hoffman) was a "high-functioning autistic." WTF? He also repeats the "we only use 10 percent of our brains" misinformation, which dates back to Boris Sidis and William James. Though he warns against "modern day phrenology," his brains scans and brain areas are nothing but guesswork.

As an autistic person, I'm offended by the presentation of all these happy-ending stories of people under the guise of "telling their stories" or "raising awareness." The primary appeal is, we can all be savants! This dates back to William James's "reserve energy" theory, and is similarly based on nothing but wishful thinking.

[May khaled · Rating 3 out of 5]

لفت انتباهي هذا الكتاب الذي يتحدث عن جوانب العبقرية والفن لدى مرضى التوحد والداون والأمراض العقلية الأخرى.

ولكل من ابتليت بطفل من هذه الفئات..
أسأل الله أن يجعل مولودها بابا لها إلى الجنة، وأن يشفع لها به، ولأهلها وذويها، وأن يطرح البركة فيهم ويجزيهم خير الجزاء في الدنيا والآخرة..

في جزر العبقرية، تتجاور المعجزة مع العجز، ونرى الإبداعات الغريبة، والخيال الخصب، والتركيز العالي، يتوحدون مع ذواتهم الخاصة، ويندمجون في عزلتهم، ولا يعرفون أنهم بحاجة للمجتمع.

قام الدكتور دارولد تريفيرت لفترة استمرت أكثر من ٤٧ عاما بالعديد من الأبحاث عن عقول المصابين بمتلازمة العباقرة النادرة، وفي عالمهم المتناقض.

كيف يفعلون ذلك؟
توم يستطيع إعادة أي معزوفة موسيقية بعد سماعها لمرة واحدة! وستيفن يحلق بالمروحية فوق مدينة لندن لمدة ١٥ دقيقة فيرسم بشكل مدهش في خمسة أيام كل التفاصيل الدقيقة التي رآها في ورق قياس أربعة أمتار!

هذا بالنسبة لمن يولد بمواهب استثنائية، وآخرين يقضون فترة طويلة من حياتهم كأي شخص طبيعي وبعد فترة يطرأ أمرا ما فتظهر لديهم مواهب العبقرية مثل الطفل المغربي عثمان الذي تحدث الألمانية فجأة دون أن يسمعها من قبل! وأخرى في منتصف العمر تعرضت لسكتة دماغية واستعادت كامل صحتها بالإضافة إلى أنها تتحدث الآن وبكل طلاقة بلكنة بلد أجنبي آخر لم تزره إطلاقا!

أهم الملاحظات التي نبه عليها المؤلف هي أن دعم الأسرة والحب والحنان من الأم بشكل خاص هو أهم العوامل التي تساعد على نبوغ العبقرية في مرضى التوحد. قبول الوالدين لسلوكيات هذه الفئة والتعامل معها بسلاسة دون محاولة التدخل لتغييرها يساعد على انفتاحهم وتواصلهم بالمحيط حولهم.

يمكن اكتشاف المواهب عند مرضى التوحد والداون في عمر مبكر وقد ظهر في بعضهم منذ عامهم الثاني. وفي حال ملاحظة إحدى المواهب يتم التركيز عليها بالتعليم والتكرار وتوفير المواد والمدربين والمكان الملائم، وعادة تبدأ المواهب بالتقليد ثم الارتجال ثم الإبداع، ولا ننسى دور التشجيع في دفعهم للاستمرار في التطور وتقديمهم أمام الآخرين حيث أنه يساعد على تحسين لغة تواصلهم مع المجتمع، إلا أنه في حالات نادرة أدى تقديمهم للجمهور إلى نقص الموهبة في مقايضة محيرة.

يتميز هؤلاء العباقرة بالابتسامة الدائمة والرضا والقناعة، وليس من الضروري محاولة فهم شخصياتهم ولا استنطاقهم، لأنهم يتواصلون مع الآخرين عبر مهاراتهم.

وبعد عرض عدة حالات من العبقرية لدى المرضى الذين قام الدكتور بمتابعتهم، طرح تساؤلا مهما:
هل يمكننا إيقاظ العبقرية الكامنة في كل واحد منا؟ وكيف يمكن ذلك؟
لم يقدم إجابة واضحة لكنه بين أمورا تساعد على تطوير المواهب بشكل أسرع من المعتاد.

لمواصلة القراءة عن الكتاب يمكنكم زيارة الرابط التالي
http://maybooks.blogspot.com/2013/10/...

[Weavre · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Written in November, 2010, several months after finishing the book) An interesting mix of solid, supported insights and ideas that wandered too far into what I consider "The Land of Woo" for my taste. The two are fairly easy to distinguish, though, and I did enjoy the book well enough.


(Written shortly after beginning the book, on May 10, 2010)
2010)Fascinating! I needed something lighter and simpler after my venture into history, and Treffert's latest offering seems perfect. I love anything that helps me understand how people, in all our glorious mental diversity, learn and interact with data about the world around us. It makes me a better teacher, but more the point--it's just plain fun!

[bayan aljuhani · Rating 4 out of 5]

مفيد وممتع يدفع للتفاؤل، ويجيب عن الفضول الذي قد يحمله القارئ عن العبقرية والحقائق العلمية حولهاالفصول التي اهتميت لها إلى جانب تعريف الحالات وأسبابها، كانت حول الأبعاد الجديدة في فهم متلازمة العباقر، مليء بالقصص والتفاصيل وقد تكون مملة وهذا الجزء الذي لم اقرأه كاملا
وأجد أن الكتاب مرجع جميل وغني جدا

[Alice]

Very interesting look into the mind of a savant. I didn't get to thoroughly read through the entire book because it was an interlibrary loan and I ran out of time. I want to read more on this subject.

[Daena · Rating 2 out of 5]

redundant redundant redundant. but full of interesting tidbits. epigentics particularly.

[Tommy Belt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superbly written

[Mary Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this after reading Born on Blue Day. Fascinating.

[Bill Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and intriguing book on savant syndrome.

In Part one of the book, Treffert characterizes savant syndrome:
- Savant syndrome is a condition superimposed on some underlying condition. In 50 percent of cases the condition is autism. The syndrome occurs in one in ten autistic persons.
- The syndrome shows a narrow range of special abilities that tend to be of the right hemisphere type: calendar calculating, music, art and number skills. It is always accompanied by prodigious memory.
- Savant syndrome can be congenital or it can be acquired, following brain injury or disease later in infancy, childhood or adult life.
- While savants usually have low IQ's, some demonstrate average or high IQ's.
- Males outnumber female savants six to one.
- While savants usually duplicate existing art and music, when allowed to pursue their specialty they often move toward creative work.

The two hemispheres of the brain differ in their strengths. R. M. Restak concluded that division of the brain hemispheres into symbolic-conceptual (left hemisphere) vs. non-symbolic, directly perceived (right hemisphere) avoids many oversimplifications. Savant syndrome often results from damage to the left hemisphere of the brain, through early development or accident.

Because the left hemisphere develops later than the right in the fetus, the left hemisphere is exposed for a longer time to any prenatal influences that might be detrimental to it. In males, excess testosterone can can impair neuronal architecture and assembly in the more vulnerable, longer exposed, left brain. This is felt to partially explain the greater frequency amongst males and the orientation of skills toward those of the right hemisphere.

Savants can demonstrate skills that have not been learned, such as the rules of art and music. The savants often describe their knowledge as intuition. The author pursues the question of how savants can know something they have never learned, eventually getting to the possibility that innate skills are passed on through epigenetics.

Some savants demonstrate lesser known skills, one example being autobiographical memory - the ability to remember tremendous detail of their past life, including weather, programs watched, meals eaten and sensations such as sights, sounds and smells. It is almost as if they have a "gigantic videotape containing a lifetime of recorded, but generally dormant memories." As those who became savants as a result of injury may exhibit this memory, it suggests the possibility that everyone has such a detailed memory - but it is suppressed by the left hemisphere.

In Part two of the book, Treffert provides short biographies of a number of savants describing their abilities and experiences. A chapter on Raymond Babbitt, the fictional Rain Man, describes how Dustin Hoffman became infatuated with the story and wanted to play Babbitt.

In Part three of the book, Treffert looks at "significant new dimensions" in the understanding of savant syndrome. Accidental genius can result from injury; the most interesting case being a person who had a paralymphatic window fistula which caused savant syndrome that disappeared and reappeared as the fistula was repaired and reopened. Sudden genius is the awakening of savant skills with no apparent event: the person is normal until one day savant skills appear.

These situations lead to the question of whether savant skills are dormant in us all. The author explores some of the approaches that have been tried to access the "inner savant".

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing work covers the autistic, acquired, and sudden savant, though 'Sudden Genius' is technically not a savant syndrome, and explores the possibility of unlocking the hypothetical realm of "Inner Savant" in each of us. Dr. Treffert points out a predictable sequence in savants that "involves first, literal memory; then improvisation; and then finally creativity--forming something original and entirely new." The 'skills' typically reported follow five areas: calendar calculating, lightning-fast calculating, mechanical or spatial skills, music, and art. The author goes through the "quite predictable sequence" savants follow in their lives: literal memory; then improvisation; and then creativity.

There are far fewer female savants compared to male - a 6-to-1 preponderance of males to females. This works explains testosterone’s effects on males in the womb related to right/left brain development and function. Right Brain and Left-Brain functions (Brain Hemisphere Specialization) are covered as are the differences between prodigy, genius and savant, as well as Epigenetics and Hypermnesia.

Dr. Treffert points out concerning Autism: "It is not increasing at an 'epidemic' level" and that it is not "a single condition but is, instead, a group of disorders with a final common path we call autism."

Numerous biographies highlight this work as well as the list of additional related works.


- Other works of interest:

Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome by Darold A. Treffert

Synaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction by Julia Simner

On some of the mental affections of childhood and youth : being the Lettsomian lectures delivered before the Medical Society of London in 1887, together with other papers
by Down, John Langdon Haydon, 1828-1896; Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh 1887

Views from the Spectrum: A Window into Life and Faith with Your Neurodivergent Child by Ron Sandison

New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards

The Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders and Birth Defects by James Wynbrandt, Mark D. Ludman

- Food for thought:

The decline in right-brain studies throughout educational institutions during the early adolescent school years has successfully precluded the natural development and intelligence growth significantly amongst our youth over the past few decades. Will this continue, producing even more ignorant generations than we unfortunately see today?

[Francis Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I nice read about incredible individuals. Lots of insight into how the different parts of our brain impact our lives and how when one part is damaged the other springs to life with such joy. If there are plans for a future updated version it would benefit from some editing especially in the first third of the book due to consistent repetition, which makes it less cohesive.

[Goodman]

I would like to read it

[Miranda Kernaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this for my psych class and wowza!