Savant/Splinter Skills

Day 11 of a 30-day series originally published for Facebook April 2021

I'm going to make a movie reference right now, and even as I do it, I am cringing... Rain Man. I'm sure we all remember the character played by Dustin Hoffman, who had extraordinary intellectual skills but was still very much dependent on others for his everyday care. As a side note.... this stereotyped character has done SO much damage in the autistic community.

Savant Syndrome is a condition where a person exhibits an "island of genius" in comparison to their overall abilities, usually in areas relating to memory, stats, math, music, art, etc. Savant Skills, or "Splinter Skills," as they are often referred to within the Autism community, are skills that reflect this "island of genius" and they occur in roughly 1 out of 10 Autistics.

The difference between a savant skill and a person with an IQ that would qualify them as genius is that a "Genius" displays an overall mastery of many areas, whereas a savant skill is narrow. It may be beneficial in everyday life (an incredible memory, for example, could be useful in many areas) or it may not be useful at all (baseball stats are rarely useful for anyone other than baseball fans.)

In our family, M has a remarkable ability to memorize entire books, commercials, or scenes from a movie, and recite them days, weeks, and even years later. He is also "hyperlexic," which means he has a fascination with letters and sounds and put all of that information together on his own at a very young age. M does happen to have a high IQ, but it's important to remember that is not the case with all Autistics. High IQ and Autism do not go hand in hand.. and I say that because I get that a lot, "Oh lucky you! He must be so smart!!" Well, yes he is smart, but that isn't necessarily because he has autism. A high IQ is not the reality for many families. And frankly, that's fine. Studies show there is actually a sweet spot for IQ and a high IQ isn't always a gift. Like many savant skills, a very high IQ can get in the way and feel more isolating than anything else.