savant syndrome

An examination of savant syndrome, looking at what is known about the condition and arguing that there is a resevoir of untapped brain potential in everyone.

No one sees the world as Jason Padgett does. Water pours from the faucet in crystalline patterns, numbers call to mind distinct geometric shapes, and intricate fractal patterns emerge from the movement of tree branches, revealing the intrinsic mathematical designs hidden in the objects around us. Yet Padgett wasn't born this way. Twelve years ago, he had never made it past pre-algebra. But a violent mugging forever altered the way his brain works, giving him unique gifts. His ability to understand math and physics skyrocketed, and he developed the astonishing ability to draw the complex geometric shapes he saw everywhere. The first documented case of acquired savant syndrome with mathematical synesthesia, Padgett is a medical marvel.

Janice DeBlois, mother of musical savant Tony DeBlois, chronicles her struggle to help her son adapt to the many physical and emotional challenges he faced in his early life and explains how she helped Tony discover his musical abilities.

Discusses people with the Savant Syndrome, a rare condition in which phenomenal ability and talent appear in people with extreme disabilities.