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Savant syndrome has a distinct psychological profile in autism.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Type

Article

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Authors

Ward, Jamie 
Gruffydd, Elin 
Baron-Cohen, Simon 
Smith, Paula 

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Savant syndrome is a condition where prodigious talent can co-occur with developmental conditions such as autism spectrum conditions (autism). It is not yet clear why some autistic people develop savant skills while others do not. METHODS: We tested three groups of adults: autistic individuals who have savant skills, autistic individuals without savant skills, and typical controls without autism or savant syndrome. In experiment 1, we investigated the cognitive and behavioural profiles of these three groups by asking participants to complete a battery of self-report measures of sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, cognitive styles, and broader autism-related traits including social communication and systemising. In experiment 2, we investigated how our three groups learned a novel savant skill-calendar calculation. RESULTS: Heightened sensory sensitivity, obsessional behaviours, technical/spatial abilities, and systemising were all key aspects in defining the savant profile distinct from autism alone, along with a different approach to task learning. CONCLUSIONS: These results reveal a unique cognitive and behavioural profile in autistic adults with savant syndrome that is distinct from autistic adults without a savant skill.

Description

Keywords

Autism spectrum conditions, Cognition, Perception, Savant syndrome, Sensory processing, Skill learning, Talent, Adult, Aptitude, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cognition, Communication, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Obsessive Behavior, Social Behavior, Spatial Navigation, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult

Journal Title

Mol Autism

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2040-2392
2040-2392

Volume Title

9

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Sponsorship
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (via Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) (unknown)
Autism Research Trust (unknown)
Templeton World Charity Foundation (TWCF) (TWCF0138/AB89)
Medical Research Council (G0600977)