Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired, and Sudden Savant [Hardcover]

Darold A. Treffert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2010 | ISBN-10: 1849058105 | ISBN-13: 978-1849058100 | Edition: 1

Savant syndrome is a rare condition in which individuals with developmental disorders have one or more areas of expertise, ability, or brilliance - 'islands of genius' - that exist in contrast with their overall limitations. This paradox of genius and limitation within the same person offers a unique window on talent, intelligence and memory, and raises interesting questions about the hidden brain potential within us all. What makes the mind of a savant tick? Does this exceptional potential exist within each of us? If so, how can it be tapped? This unique account of Dr Darold Treffert's 47-year journey into the mind and world of the savant introduces some truly remarkable individuals, and looks at the causes, manifestations and implications of this extraordinary condition. It explores recently-discovered phenomena such as 'genetic memory', the capacity of some individuals to 'know' things they never learned, and 'acquired savantism', instances in which a neuro-typical person unexpectedly and spectacularly develops savant-like abilities following a trauma such as a head injury or stroke. Explaining that such cases point convincingly towards a reservoir of untapped ability - an inner savant capacity - in us all, it describes techniques for discovering and tapping this dormant potential. Above all, it's message is that prodigy and genius should be celebrated and nurtured, and experts in music, math, and art share strategies and techniques to help parents, teachers and others better support these exceptionally talented individuals. This book will intrigue anyone who has ever wondered what makes the brain of a savant tick, as well as clinicians, parents, teachers, therapists and others who care for, and about, individuals with savant syndrome.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"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

About the Author

Darold A. Treffert, M.D. is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. He has worked with savants and researched this rare condition for nearly 50 years, and was a consultant to the award-winning movie Rain Man in which Dustin Hoffman plays the part of an autistic savant. Kim Peek - the inspiration for the film - is just one of the extraordinary individuals Dr. Treffert introduces us to in the book

Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub; 1 edition (April 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1849058105
• ISBN-13: 978-1849058100
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 1.1 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #573,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative May 14, 2010

By Erika Mitchell TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This book is a collection of information about savants. Darold Treffert first encountered savants in the early 1960s when he started working with mentally disabled children at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. Of the 30 patients assigned to him, 4 of them had remarkable abilities in contrast to their general developmental limitations. Treffert developed a deep interest in savant syndrome and became one of the world's leading experts on the topic. In this book, Treffert presents a collection of information about savant syndrome, describing the nature of special and preserved ability amongst brain-damaged individuals. The book is divided into 5 sections: The Mind of the Savant (technical descriptions of savant syndrome), The World of the Savant (profiles of famous savants), Significant New Dimensions to Savant Syndrome (acquired savant skills and savant-like skills in neurotypical individuals), Training the Talent (pedagogical techniques for savants--essays contributed by other authors), and Our Journey Has Just Begun (future research concerning savant skills). The book includes a selection of photos depicting artwork done by savants, a list of references cited, and a list of resources for further reading.

I found the book quite informative and well worth reading. Treffert makes it very clear that savant skills are most commonly found with autistic individuals, but only one in 10 autistic individuals has some savant skills, and people with other types of developmental disabilities can also have savant skills. Not only that, but savant skills may occasionally appear after head injuries; they may even appear spontaneously in neurotypical individuals without injuries. In this book, written for general audiences, Treffert sums up a lifetime of research on savant skills, and speculates a bit about causes and effects. Some of this speculation is hard to swallow without further confirmatory research, such as musical knowledge being part of our genetic endowment, but it could point the way to some interesting research topics. Treffert notes that the brain damage associated with autism is often localized to left hemisphere areas, whereas the typical savant skills: calendar and math calculations, music, and art, are usually thought of as right hemisphere skills. This is consistent with the theory of autism being "extreme male brain syndrome" as proposed by Baron-Cohen and other scientific observations about males tending to have more right-brain dominance than females, but goes directly against common folk understanding of brain dominance, in which intuitive and artistic skills are considered more "feminine", while a strict reliance to logic and explicit definitions more "masculine". Clearly, folk understanding needs to be brought up to date with research on hemispheric dominance and lateralization of skills described in this book.

This book is more a collection of essays than a single coherent work. It can be somewhat repetitive in places, and the writing varies from scientific with citations to simple anecdotal tributes about savants Treffert has known. Overall, though, it is informative and thought-provoking.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating But Needs an Editor April 12, 2010

By Liberty4all VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I need to preface this review by pointing out that the copy of Islands I read was marked as a "Bound Galley-Not for Sale". I hope that marking indicates that the manuscript will still be edited prior to being released to the public because it desperately needs major attention by a competent editor.

The subject matter is fascinating and the author is clearly an authority on savant syndrome and autism. However, not only is the writing a bit flat, but there is a tremendous amount of repetition. At times it feels like the author took a break in writing for a few months and then started again while forgetting he had already used certain phrases and/or told certain stories or specific history. As a result, you feel like you're watching a movie that you've already seen a few times and one in which the dialog was not that scintillating the first time around.

It's near impossible to guess at how this book will read once an editor restructures it but it does have enough potential to get to four or even five stars with the proper care.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book About the Savant May 25, 2010

By Chris VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

The savant condition has always fascinated me and this book is wonderful. It explains many of the aspects of the savant, including sudden and acquired conditions. The author has done a terrific job of explaining and chronicling his work with uplifting stories of the different savants he has dealt with. The book is long but lends itself to being read in segments, picking it up at different times and reading one or more of the chapters. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever wondered or was curious about the savant condition. They really are amazing people with diverse and exceptional talents.