"Perched on a hill close to a set of railroad tracks, he could memorise all the numbers of the train carriages that sped by at 30 mph, add them up, and provide the correct total sum. What was remarkable about the case was not just his ability to calculate large numbers (and read them on a moving vehicle), but the fact that he could barely eat unassisted or recognise the faces of people he met."
"The SSM Health Treffert Centre in Wisconsin - named after Darold Treffert (1933-2020), one of the leading experts in the field - defines the savant phenomenon as 'a rare condition in which persons with various developmental disorders, including autistic disorder, have an amazing ability and talent'. Today, savantism is largely comprehended through the lens of neurodivergence, since the association between savantism and autism is strong: roughly one in 10 people with autism exhibit some savant skills, while savantism in the absence of autism is much rarer."
In 1915 an 11-year-old boy demonstrated prodigious mathematical ability by memorising and summing numbers on moving train carriages while exhibiting severe motor and social impairments. The combination of arrested development and specialist numerical skill led to the medical label 'idiot savant'. Contemporary definitions characterise savantism as a rare condition in which people with developmental disorders, including autistic disorder, display exceptional abilities. Savant skills are more commonly observed among autistic individuals, with roughly one in ten people on the autism spectrum showing some savant talents, whereas savantism without autism is much rarer.
Read at Aeon
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