Autism And Savant Syndrome Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Autism And tiro Syndrome A scant(p) boy quietly sits in antecedent of a piano, with his fingers poised over the bright white keys. His teacher, seated beside him on the bench, plays a complicated series of chords, filling the air with a fair melody. After a single hearing, the boy begins to play, perfectly reproducing the song he has just heard. As the last notes fade away, the boy sits still for a moment and then begins to rock gently back and forth, only halt once the music begins again.... A grandeur. A prodigy. One might score this child as such after witnessing this type of performance, were it not for the little nuances of the situation the rocking, the cold, unemotional expression on the boys face, and his lack of response to the voices or so him. Instead, this boy is diagnosed with Savant Syndrome, a disorder in which individuals with neurological developmental delays in socialization and communication (3) possess astonishing islands of brilliance that permit in star k, markedly incongruous contrast to the over-all handicap (6). From absolute hand over and chess playing skill to the card-counting talent popularized by Dustin Hoffman in fall Man, savants may be developmentally delayed, but certainly posses a genius of sorts that is almost unmatchable. In this respect, I am fascinated by the biological and societal origins and significance of the existence of individuals with an IQ well below median(a) who be capable of performing tasks about which some geniuses could only dream. The implications of these individuals are huge in terms of genetics, the nature of intelligence and the varying processes of theme present within humanity. I find that it is the presence of a failing such as autism and its development... ...avant. WWW Sources1)The Neurobiology of Infantile Autismhttp//www.mhsource.com/narsad/autism.jhtml?_requestid=609112)Autism Fact Sheethttp//www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm3)Pervasive developmental Disorderht tp//www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/pdd/pdd.htm4)Autism and the Cerebellumhttp//www.autism.org/cerebel.html5)Autism and the Limbic Systemhttp//www.autism.org/cerebel.html6)The Savant SyndromeIslands of Geniushttp//www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/savant/default.cfm7)Autistic Savanthttp//www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/savant/default.cfm8)Tune in, turn offhttp//www.newscientist.com/ns/19991009/tuneinturn.html9)The Savant in All of Ushttp//www.saveachild.com/netnews/feb00resr.htmSavant10)Phenomenal Talent-The Autistic Kindhttp//www.nexus.edu.au/teachstud/gat/hendric1.htm