Savant syndrome is a rare, but extraordinary, condition in which persons with serious mental disabilities, including autistic disorder, have some 'island of genius' that stands in marked, incongruous contrast to overall handicap. In fact as many as one in ten autistic persons have such remarkable abilities in varying degrees, although savant syndrome occurs in other developmental disabilities or CNS injury or disease as well. The 1989 movie Rain Man made "autistic savant" a household term.
This article summarizes past and present world literature on this topic, describes more recent cases, reviews current research findings, provides intervention strategies to channel such skills, and outlines future directions of inquiry to better explain this extraordinary condition..
