Savant syndrome is a rare condition in which individuals with developmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders, have one or more areas of expertise, ability, or brilliance - ''islands of genius'' - that exist in contrast with their overall limitations. In this fascinating book, Dr. Darold Treffert looks at what we know about this remarkable condition, and at new discoveries that raise interesting questions about the hidden brain potential within us all.Dr. Treffert explores the phenomena of genetic memory -instances in which individuals somehow ''know'' things theynever learned - and sudden genius or ''acquired savantism'' -where a neuro-typical person unexpectedly and spectacularlydevelops savant-like abilities following a head injury or stroke.Showing that these phenomena point convincingly towards areservoir of untapped potential - an inner savant capacity -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. A central colour section contains the extraordinary artwork of some of the savants who are mentioned in the book.Islands of Genius will intrigue anyone who has ever wonderedwhat makes the mind of a savant tick, as well as clinicians,parents, teachers, therapists, and others who care for, and about, individuals with savant syndrome*Gold Medal Winner in the Psychology / Mental HealthCategory of the 2011 IPPY Awards*
Foreword by Daniel Tammet. Preface. Introduction: Sightseeing on an Incredible Journey. Part 1. The Mind of the Savant. 1. What We Do Know: A Rare but Remarkable Condition. 2. How Do They Do It? Some Earlier Theories from Heredity to Quantum Theory. 3. How Do They Do It? More Recent Findings: Rewiring, Recruitment and Release. 4. Genetic Memory: How Do We Know Things We Never Learned? 5. More Medical Mysteries:Calendars, Cantors, Foreign Accents and Hypermensia. Part 2. The World of the Savant. 6. The Genius of Earlswood Asylum and Blind Tom: Some EarlySavants. 7. Leslie and May: ''Two Memorable People''. 8. Alonzo: ''God Gives the Gift''. 9. George: It's Fantastic I Can Do That''. 10. Kim: ''The Real RainMan''. 11. Ellen: ''With a Song in Her Heart''. 12. Tony: ''Against All Odds''. 13. Temple: ''An Emergence Extraordinaire''. 14. Matt: ''In the Key of Genius''. 15.Flo and Kay: An Unforgettable ''Two of a Kind''. 16. Daniel: ''Numbers Are My Friends''. 17. Stephen: ''A Rocket of Young Talent''. 18. Ping Lian, Gregory,Richard and Some Others: Artwork of the Prodigious Savant. 19. Raymond Babbit in Rain Man: The World's Best Known Savant. Part 3. Significant NewDimensions to Savant Syndrome. 20. ''Accidental Genius'': The Acquired Savant. 21. ''Sudden Genius'': An Epiphany of Talent. 22. ''Normal Genius'': DormantSkills Within Us All? 23. Accessing the ''Inner Savant'' Within Us All. 24. The Bountiful Brain: Half a Brain (Or Less) May Be Enough. Part 4. Training theTalent: ''I've Got a Son or Daughter Who...''. 25. Music: Teaching Music to the Special Needs Client: A Music Therapist's Approach. 26. Art: ''Training theTalent'' in Art and Other Skills: An Educator's Approach. 27. Mathematics: Teaching Autistic Numerical Savants: A Specific Approach that Worked. Part 5.Our Journey Has Just Begun. 28. New Tools and New Optimism: The Trail Ahead for the Mind of the Savant. 29. Oval Souls on a Round Planet: The TrailAhead for the World of the Savant. References. Appendix: Books About, and Books By, Savants. Subject Index. Author Index.
'This is a beautifully written, inspiring and fascinating book by the man who probably knows more than anyone else about savant syndrome - the rare condition in which some individuals with disorders such as autism have one or more areas of ability or brilliance: ''islands of genius''.'- Human Givens'This reviewer has had a great experience by reading this book and recommend it warmly to all colleagues.'- Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association (translated from the Norwegian)`Walk through a bookstore or library these days, and you'll find several dozen books on the workings of your brain. I believe, though, that this one is quite likely the most intriguing of all. Using case studies, reader-friendly medicine, and contagious curiosity, Treffert leads his readers on a tour of one facet of brain science that even Hollywood seems taken with, but about which few books are written...Armchair scientists, parents, educators, and anybody with an interest in brain works will find ''Islands of Genius'' fascinating and fresh. For you, savoring this book is a true no-brainer.`- Washington Informer''No one in the world can match Darold Treffert's experience and understanding of savant syndromes - he has spent nearly half a century immersed in the subject. And when he writes of the ''beautiful'' mind of the savant, Treffert shows the openness and generosity of his own mind. Islands of Genius brings us fully up to date with the latest research, and like all of Treffert's work, it is imbued with deep intellectual and emotional understanding. This is an indispensable examination of a remarkable human condition.''- Oliver Sacks, Professor of Neurology & Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center''This book takes you on a wondrous journey through the mind of savants. Their abilities need to be nurtured and developed. Everyone who is interested in the human mind should read this important book.''- Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures''Few people would or should want to learn to recite Pi to 22,514 decimal places, draw landmarks in breathtaking detail, or remember the contents of 12,000 books. Everyone is different. By refusing to gawp at these feats, preferring instead to focus on the person behind them, Dr Treffert sends out the message that it is the creative, imaginative processes at the root of such abilities that matter most. Only by considering the context of savants' lives can we more fully and properly understand the gifts that they possess.''- from the foreword by Daniel Tammet, author of Born On A Blue Day
