You must have heard and read a lot about autistic children and how they are different from others. Most of us feel pity about them as they have weaker cognitive abilities that hamper their mental growth. But there is a parallel disorder that is rarely found in autistic children but that makes them extraordinarily brilliant. Surprised? Yes, there do exist autistic people with savant syndrome that amplifies the brain development of the child making them a Genius! Behaviour Therapist and Autism and Intellectual Disabilities Expert Devangana Mishra, CEO and Founder Brain Bristle, Making Autism easy to Understand explains all about autistic savant syndrome here.
What is An Autistic Savant?
An autistic savant is a rare form of genius, it lies on the spectrum of autism but instead of neurotypical ways of seeing the world and being stuck in repetition, redundancy and redoing the same inane activities that a classic child with autism would engage in- an autistic savant’s brain is an island of genius- it works on overdrive, it can create, co-create and build monuments in their mind and the minds of others, which can lead them to hyperventilate, gain too much control and power or completely lose touch with reality, society, be deemed insane. There are no specific tests to diagnose an autistic savant, but the skill level in this one field will be way beyond that of the general population, which is why you need clear observation and skill to drive these kids ahead and make them amazing for the world to see and know.
Also Read: Identify These Symptoms Of Autism In A Growing Kid
Positive Outlook
The mathematical, calculated minds and tangential thinking of children with autism spectrum disorder can be highly beneficial for our society. Because these minds, can be what our world possibly needs to create disruption, new ways of thinking, new perspectives on how a human eye could see things, but this can look completely delusional, maniacal to most- it can, thus, way before their time, before their eventual disruption, before their ideation comes to life, these savants might get shut down by what’s politically right or wrong. No disruption has ever been made on sheer rightness, there has to be a turn here, a trouble there, a curve here and there.
Also Read: ADHD And Autism: Know The Different Between The Two Disorders
Challenges With Autistic Savant Syndrome Children
To bring these ideas down to reality, at times, can be anxiety provoking, it can be ego busting and very hard. When we think of an overstimulated mind, it is hyper, pushing, pulsating and aggressive. It is in a constant attempt to take aggressive steps towards their end goal, trample over whatever is in their way, to get to their creation - this can lead to high amounts of stress, resulting in mental damage and fatigue, coupled with a lack of acuity, agility, tact and strength.
Conclusion
This is the obvious downfall of an overstimulated, wired, conspiring mind; but if identified, as rare, exceptional skills in math or music or science or art or design or something and incubated for long enough, it can also be the most revolutionary form of rebellion mankind can ever see or know. Yuval Noah Harrari, Einstein, Hannah Gadsby, Temple Grandin, Lewis Caroll, Neil Gaiman, Elon Musk are examples of the potential of genius we sometimes crush because their journeys can be from an outsider’s lens seen as hard, troublesome, treacherous and more. “Thus, as an educator in the field of autism, my advice is for educators to incubate these kids until their ideas can be unfolded and released freely into the world to create proof that what lies in a savant, takes time to develop and grow, but we need this incubation period in order for us to work towards more”, concludes Devangana.
Image credits- freepik
