Savantism
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10 Oct 2011, 10:48 pm
What exactly makes someone a savant? I'm very intelligent, but I don't think I'm quite a savant. I'm pretty sure I scored the highest on the MAP tests in ever category, at least with everyone I've talked I scored significantly higher than them, except for one person who I tied with in Literary Analysis or Reading Comprehension or whatever it was called. I scored the second highest possible score on the Math MAP test, which amazed everyone. I can solve simple algebraic and differential equations in my head, and can also formulate somewhat complex and abstract proofs there, but I can't calculate large products or sums in my head as I'm not good a memorizing or keeping track of numbers. I have over 100% in chemistry, and I never study. I'm a very good writer and reader, and my works are known for being some of the most original. Somehow I became the most popular orator in the class. The class I probably find the hardest is AP US History, as you actually need to read up on the stuff to pass the class. I also find Portuguese class difficult, but not because I don't understand the language, but because I have difficulty listening. I'm also a fast and decent artist, but that's probably more from getting into hyperfocus than unusual artistic ability. So what do you think?
10 Oct 2011, 10:59 pm
Sounds to me like you're more "Gifted" than a "Savant": I think a Savant is usually just one subject. (Actually, with the chemistry I'd say you're a miracle, if you get 100% and never study: did you just read through the text, or maybe sleep with your head on it like a pillow, like Edgar Cayce?)
Anyway, when I was a kid, I knew an elderly man who was a savant: he was sort of the village idiot in most ways: just barely enough good sense to take care of himself, most of the time. But he could look at a car license plate once, and remember it, not only the plate number, but whose it was, and if the owner was somebody he didn't know, what kind and color of car it was on. Kind of a wondrous and useless talent, though in some other fields it might have been useful, like Mozart, who was of course better off all around than old Albert.
10 Oct 2011, 11:17 pm
Sibyl wrote:
Sounds to me like you're more "Gifted" than a "Savant": I think a Savant is usually just one subject. (Actually, with the chemistry I'd say you're a miracle, if you get 100% and never study: did you just read through the text, or maybe sleep with your head on it like a pillow, like Edgar Cayce?)
Anyway, when I was a kid, I knew an elderly man who was a savant: he was sort of the village idiot in most ways: just barely enough good sense to take care of himself, most of the time. But he could look at a car license plate once, and remember it, not only the plate number, but whose it was, and if the owner was somebody he didn't know, what kind and color of car it was on. Kind of a wondrous and useless talent, though in some other fields it might have been useful, like Mozart, who was of course better off all around than old Albert.
Anyway, when I was a kid, I knew an elderly man who was a savant: he was sort of the village idiot in most ways: just barely enough good sense to take care of himself, most of the time. But he could look at a car license plate once, and remember it, not only the plate number, but whose it was, and if the owner was somebody he didn't know, what kind and color of car it was on. Kind of a wondrous and useless talent, though in some other fields it might have been useful, like Mozart, who was of course better off all around than old Albert.
Ok, that's what I thought, though I've heard that in the autistic context you might be considered a savant if you are ok at everything, but exceptional at one thing.
As for chemistry all the information we need is in the lectures, and a lot of the stuff in science I've learned in previous years, so once I take during the notes I remember most of the stuff, as I already knew most of the stuff and science is a lot more logical than history, so all I need to do is finish the assignments we have to do in class and then I'm completely prepared for all of the tests. In elementary school I never really needed to study, so now that I'm in highschool I'm a bit screwed in things like History as I have no study skills.
swbluto
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10 Oct 2011, 11:26 pm
Ganondox wrote:
What exactly makes someone a savant? I'm very intelligent, but I don't think I'm quite a savant. I'm pretty sure I scored the highest on the MAP tests in ever category, at least with everyone I've talked I scored significantly higher than them, except for one person who I tied with in Literary Analysis or Reading Comprehension or whatever it was called. I scored the second highest possible score on the Math MAP test, which amazed everyone. I can solve simple algebraic and differential equations in my head, and can also formulate somewhat complex and abstract proofs there, but I can't calculate large products or sums in my head as I'm not good a memorizing or keeping track of numbers. I have over 100% in chemistry, and I never study. I'm a very good writer and reader, and my works are known for being some of the most original. Somehow I became the most popular orator in the class. The class I probably find the hardest is AP US History, as you actually need to read up on the stuff to pass the class. I also find Portuguese class difficult, but not because I don't understand the language, but because I have difficulty listening. I'm also a fast and decent artist, but that's probably more from getting into hyperfocus than unusual artistic ability. So what do you think?
I think you're probably not autistic? I'm pretty sure aspergers had some cognitive weaknesses associated with it, especially with nonverbal reasoning which it seems you're not lacking in and your ability profile doesn't seem to suggest unevenness.
swbluto
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10 Oct 2011, 11:28 pm
Ganondox wrote:
swbluto wrote:
Ganondox wrote:
What exactly makes someone a savant? I'm very intelligent, but I don't think I'm quite a savant. I'm pretty sure I scored the highest on the MAP tests in ever category, at least with everyone I've talked I scored significantly higher than them, except for one person who I tied with in Literary Analysis or Reading Comprehension or whatever it was called. I scored the second highest possible score on the Math MAP test, which amazed everyone. I can solve simple algebraic and differential equations in my head, and can also formulate somewhat complex and abstract proofs there, but I can't calculate large products or sums in my head as I'm not good a memorizing or keeping track of numbers. I have over 100% in chemistry, and I never study. I'm a very good writer and reader, and my works are known for being some of the most original. Somehow I became the most popular orator in the class. The class I probably find the hardest is AP US History, as you actually need to read up on the stuff to pass the class. I also find Portuguese class difficult, but not because I don't understand the language, but because I have difficulty listening. I'm also a fast and decent artist, but that's probably more from getting into hyperfocus than unusual artistic ability. So what do you think?
I think you're probably not autistic?
I was diagnosed with Aspergers back when I was 8 years old, I've learned to hide most of the signs over the years, and I was always in the "autistic and gifted" area.
Are you profoundly gifted or something?
10 Oct 2011, 11:29 pm
Most autistic people are not "ok" at everything. I don't know whether my old friend Albert was autistic or what, but he was very much NOT okay at anything but remembering license plates and their contexts. Maybe you could compare him to a big six-year-old. (He died when I was still pretty young).
I'm "certified" Asperger's, and when I was a kid I was considered gifted, though not in your class. I did have to study at the high school material, but not nearly as much as other people did to get the grades I got, but so far as everyday life, particularly social life, I was in the cellar. It wouldn't have been noticeable if people thought that I didn't _want_ friends, but the trouble was that I did. Didn't know how to make new ones, and couldn't seem to learn.
10 Oct 2011, 11:33 pm
swbluto wrote:
Ganondox wrote:
What exactly makes someone a savant? I'm very intelligent, but I don't think I'm quite a savant. I'm pretty sure I scored the highest on the MAP tests in ever category, at least with everyone I've talked I scored significantly higher than them, except for one person who I tied with in Literary Analysis or Reading Comprehension or whatever it was called. I scored the second highest possible score on the Math MAP test, which amazed everyone. I can solve simple algebraic and differential equations in my head, and can also formulate somewhat complex and abstract proofs there, but I can't calculate large products or sums in my head as I'm not good a memorizing or keeping track of numbers. I have over 100% in chemistry, and I never study. I'm a very good writer and reader, and my works are known for being some of the most original. Somehow I became the most popular orator in the class. The class I probably find the hardest is AP US History, as you actually need to read up on the stuff to pass the class. I also find Portuguese class difficult, but not because I don't understand the language, but because I have difficulty listening. I'm also a fast and decent artist, but that's probably more from getting into hyperfocus than unusual artistic ability. So what do you think?
I think you're probably not autistic? I'm pretty sure aspergers had some cognitive weaknesses associated with it, especially with nonverbal reasoning which it seems you're not lacking in and your ability profile doesn't seem to suggest unevenness.
I was diagnosed with it nearly seven years ago, I didn't declare myself autistic. I've been doubting whether or not I'm actually autistic throughout my life, doing all sort of research on it and I never saw anything about there being a cognitive weakness, most of the things I've seen said the opposite.
10 Oct 2011, 11:38 pm
swbluto wrote:
Ganondox wrote:
What exactly makes someone a savant? I'm very intelligent, but I don't think I'm quite a savant. I'm pretty sure I scored the highest on the MAP tests in ever category, at least with everyone I've talked I scored significantly higher than them, except for one person who I tied with in Literary Analysis or Reading Comprehension or whatever it was called. I scored the second highest possible score on the Math MAP test, which amazed everyone. I can solve simple algebraic and differential equations in my head, and can also formulate somewhat complex and abstract proofs there, but I can't calculate large products or sums in my head as I'm not good a memorizing or keeping track of numbers. I have over 100% in chemistry, and I never study. I'm a very good writer and reader, and my works are known for being some of the most original. Somehow I became the most popular orator in the class. The class I probably find the hardest is AP US History, as you actually need to read up on the stuff to pass the class. I also find Portuguese class difficult, but not because I don't understand the language, but because I have difficulty listening. I'm also a fast and decent artist, but that's probably more from getting into hyperfocus than unusual artistic ability. So what do you think?
I think you're probably not autistic? I'm pretty sure aspergers had some cognitive weaknesses associated with it, especially with nonverbal reasoning which it seems you're not lacking in and your ability profile doesn't seem to suggest unevenness.
Someone like this can absolutely be autistic. Academic difficulties are not at all required to be autistic. Twice exceptional people exist. That description is not far off from how someone would describe me while I was around the poster's age. I've been diagnosed with Asperger's, don't see there as a question about me being autistic, and am without question disabled.
--
As for savantism, being a savant and being gifted are different things. Savantism specifically is being abnormally good at something in particular - this usually is thought of as the person who struggles in the rest of the areas, but also can occur with people who are average or above average in all intellectual aspects. However, for it to occur in that case it needs to be something extreme even with the other abilities.
You sound like you're twice exceptional (gifted + disabled).
10 Oct 2011, 11:53 pm
Ganondox wrote:
swbluto wrote:
Ganondox wrote:
What exactly makes someone a savant? I'm very intelligent, but I don't think I'm quite a savant. I'm pretty sure I scored the highest on the MAP tests in ever category, at least with everyone I've talked I scored significantly higher than them, except for one person who I tied with in Literary Analysis or Reading Comprehension or whatever it was called. I scored the second highest possible score on the Math MAP test, which amazed everyone. I can solve simple algebraic and differential equations in my head, and can also formulate somewhat complex and abstract proofs there, but I can't calculate large products or sums in my head as I'm not good a memorizing or keeping track of numbers. I have over 100% in chemistry, and I never study. I'm a very good writer and reader, and my works are known for being some of the most original. Somehow I became the most popular orator in the class. The class I probably find the hardest is AP US History, as you actually need to read up on the stuff to pass the class. I also find Portuguese class difficult, but not because I don't understand the language, but because I have difficulty listening. I'm also a fast and decent artist, but that's probably more from getting into hyperfocus than unusual artistic ability. So what do you think?
I think you're probably not autistic? I'm pretty sure aspergers had some cognitive weaknesses associated with it, especially with nonverbal reasoning which it seems you're not lacking in and your ability profile doesn't seem to suggest unevenness.
I was diagnosed with it nearly seven years ago, I didn't declare myself autistic. I've been doubting whether or not I'm actually autistic throughout my life, doing all sort of research on it and I never saw anything about there being a cognitive weakness, most of the things I've seen said the opposite.
I don't believe I have any cognitive weaknesses, unless you count things like the face blindness, that are more perceptual than cognitive -- I do all right with the visual thinking in geometry and such, though I'm nothing of an artist except with arranging colors and patterns in beadwork and knitting -- don't know whether that counts, either, but drawing or painting, forget it!. Maybe you would say the social stuff is cognitive, though. I'm _forever_ saying the exactly wrong thing to say. I do better with writing, because I have more time to put it together, but "Every time I open my mouth, my foot goes in".
10 Oct 2011, 11:59 pm
Tuttle wrote:
swbluto wrote:
Ganondox wrote:
What exactly makes someone a savant? I'm very intelligent, but I don't think I'm quite a savant. I'm pretty sure I scored the highest on the MAP tests in ever category, at least with everyone I've talked I scored significantly higher than them, except for one person who I tied with in Literary Analysis or Reading Comprehension or whatever it was called. I scored the second highest possible score on the Math MAP test, which amazed everyone. I can solve simple algebraic and differential equations in my head, and can also formulate somewhat complex and abstract proofs there, but I can't calculate large products or sums in my head as I'm not good a memorizing or keeping track of numbers. I have over 100% in chemistry, and I never study. I'm a very good writer and reader, and my works are known for being some of the most original. Somehow I became the most popular orator in the class. The class I probably find the hardest is AP US History, as you actually need to read up on the stuff to pass the class. I also find Portuguese class difficult, but not because I don't understand the language, but because I have difficulty listening. I'm also a fast and decent artist, but that's probably more from getting into hyperfocus than unusual artistic ability. So what do you think?
I think you're probably not autistic? I'm pretty sure aspergers had some cognitive weaknesses associated with it, especially with nonverbal reasoning which it seems you're not lacking in and your ability profile doesn't seem to suggest unevenness.
Someone like this can absolutely be autistic. Academic difficulties are not at all required to be autistic. Twice exceptional people exist. That description is not far off from how someone would describe me while I was around the poster's age. I've been diagnosed with Asperger's, don't see there as a question about me being autistic, and am without question disabled.
--
As for savantism, being a savant and being gifted are different things. Savantism specifically is being abnormally good at something in particular - this usually is thought of as the person who struggles in the rest of the areas, but also can occur with people who are average or above average in all intellectual aspects. However, for it to occur in that case it needs to be something extreme even with the other abilities.
You sound like you're twice exceptional (gifted + disabled).
That's what I was thinking. Just because I'm not impaired academically doesn't mean I'm not impaired in other areas: I can't function on a team in sports, I find making eye contact unnatural and no value in greetings and small talk, I have difficulty analyzing my feelings and other people's feelings, I can't hold up a conversation unless I or the other person has a definite purpose or there is a definite subject, I have difficulty managing time, I find it more difficult than most people to detect sarcasm, though I'm getting better at that, I stim, I dislike being touche, but I've gotten used to it from living in Brazil, I have difficulty focusing on things I'm not interested in, I laugh when I'm being chastised, I become obsessed over unusual things. In public I've learned to act somewhat normalish, but some people are still able to pick me out as being autistic, and everyone notices that I'm quite eccentric.
Also sorry for any confusion, but I had a post, but I deleted it because the post I was quoting was modified, but that post managed to be quoted before I could delete it.
swbluto
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11 Oct 2011, 12:12 am
Quote:
"I laugh when I'm being chastised"
Is that really an autistic trait? I laugh sometimes when people get frustrated with me, but I'm not sure if I'm doing this because I know it'll piss them off and I find that intrinsically enjoyable or because it's an automatic thing to do, as with autism.
I do recall many "serious" moments being disciplined where I wasn't laughing, especially not if it involved parents and the crime was serious.
11 Oct 2011, 12:24 am
swbluto wrote:
Quote:
"I laugh when I'm being chastised"
Is that really an autistic trait? I laugh sometimes when people get frustrated with me, but I'm not sure if I'm doing this because I know it'll piss them off and I find that intrinsically enjoyable or because it's an automatic thing to do, as with autism.
I do recall many "serious" moments being disciplined where I wasn't laughing, especially not if it involved parents and the crime was serious.
Well I'm not trying to piss them off, that's that last thing I want when they're already pissed. For me its automatic reaction that I must actively withhold from doing, and if I do laugh then the guilt from doing what ever got me in trouble in the first place gets the guilt from the failure to show respect added on top of it.
