NoBSU said:
And I have worked seven days a week with an autistic boy for 15 years. Since you have to have a development disorder or a brain injury to classify as a savant it sort of skews the savant data to autism compared to the regular population (that can't have any savants). Autism or Fetal Alcohol - which is more likely to have more savants? Some studies say 1 in 10. I guess it depends on how you define savant ability.
My son has a love of cartoons. He has memorized most Wikipedia and IMDB entries for directors and voice actors. He can instantly recite it. For example, if I we see an actor on TV I can ask my son's what animations that the actor has done. My boy will rapidly list the animated movies in a oldest to newest omitting movies he disliked (usually all Dreamworks). Still my son will graduate in May testing at about an 8th grade level across the board. Savant in animation or just able to concentrate better studying that subject unlike unlike literature or math?
Back to my original point, it gets old the number of people who understand autism through Rainman or Mercury Rising and ask if they can borrow him to go play blackjack at an Indian Casino. Not as old as NBC Nightly News announcing a promising cure every six months, but I think you can see my point. To many my son could go to work for the NSA and save the free world by cracking Russia's latest encryption code. That is if he can avoid melting down and crying all day at school because my youngest had an early special event at middle school and I changed the school drop-off routine to accommodate. Lesson-learned. Run the middle schooler to school, then come back and start normal routine. World saved. Thanks Hollywood.
Kudos to you for sticking with your son - and not sticking him in some far off school. We worked with Mexia State School and Denton State School. We would be the only visitors most of the guys would see at Christmas. Their families had left them on the states doorstep.
To me autism, to borrow an analogy, is a bit like having blinders on a horse. Whatever was in front of the horse was okay, but what was to the side would drive them wild. For an autistic, there was usually something that was okay - something they could focus and then dwell on, it was just harder to get to. For a savant, multiply that times 10 - but that also let them focus more as there were no mental distractions.
We had 12-15 in our SS class. Every one different, with different abilities and communication skills. And to be honest, I would get more out of it then those guys every would.
BTW - is your son in SO?
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