The Misunderstood: Shedding Light on the "Subtle Precocious Savant"

by Rose Whitson-Guedes, Nelson Guedes (Editor)

"The Misunderstood” is an examination of what it can actually mean to be a savant, far away from such sensationalistic media portrayals as “Rain Man.” Although that story was based on truth, it is an example of how a small amount of education and learning with great bias towards one particular aspect of the material can almost be as bad as none at all, and “The Misunderstood” points out how this works. This piece talks about how savant skills are far more widespread than previously thought, and can include less flashy abilities which can be used to blend in to various degrees, among other things. This is what is referred to as the subtle-precocious savant. Under ideal circumstances, such an individual would be recognized as such, and would get to use his or her abilities to their fullest extent and flourish, but very often this is not the case, and the shape of a savant is frequently that one which is best suited to falling through the cracks.

33 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 27, 2014