Dr. Darold Treffert met his first savant in 1962 and has been intrigued with those spectacular "islands of genius" seen in these extraordinary people ever since. His work has appeared in several previous Scientific American and MIND articles and it two books: Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome (2006) and Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired and Sudden Savant (2010). He also maintains an internationally respected website on savant syndrome, autism and related conditions at www.savantsyndrome.com hosted by the Wisconsin Medical Society.
Genetic Memory: How We Know Things We Never Learned
I met my first savant 52 years ago and have been intrigued with that remarkable condition ever since. One of the most striking and consistent things in the many savants I have seen is that that they clearly know things they never learned.
Genetic Memory: How We Know Things We Never Learned
I met my first savant 52 years ago and have been intrigued with that remarkable condition ever since. One of the most striking and consistent things in the many savants I have seen is that that they clearly know things they never learned.
Whatever Happened to Leslie Lemke?
In June 1980 Leslie Lemke and his remarkable foster mother May Lemke gave a concert in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin that has reverberated over the years throughout the world.
Observing Patients, Not iPads, Leads to the Best Care
Even as I write this, my iPhone tells me by sound and motion I have a new message. Given my e-mail preferences chances are it is some information about a new best practice or evidence-based treatment guideline.
My Marvelous Journey with Incredible Savants: What Have I Learned?
So much of what happens to us in life is not by plan, but rather by coincidence or serendipity. Thus it was with me and my career. After completing my residency in psychiatry I was assigned the responsibility of developing a Children’s Unit at Winnebago Mental Health Institute here in Wisconsin. There were over 800 [...]
Oops! When "Autism" Isn t Autistic Disorder: Hyperlexia and Einstein Syndrome