The term is used to describe people who are intellectually disabled for the most part, yet who display extraordinary skills in specific areas. Savant Syndrome is a very rare phenomenon which determines the people affected by it to excel in specific specialization areas while still being plagued by the burden of severe mental handicaps. To some extent, the film ‘Rain Man’ did a very good job at portraying what a person with Savant Syndrome is like and what they’re capable of. Although fictional by some standards, it did shed light on an issue that affects a surprisingly large number of people worldwide.
10Savant Syndrome Is Not Always Accompanied By Low IQ
Probably due to the now dated term, idiot savant, most people associate the savant syndrome with low IQ. Although many savants have IQs of between 50 and 70, some can have above average IQ levels. On the other hand, considering the inherent biases in IQ tests, it is not fair to associate the syndrome with low intelligence. For instance, many savants with extraordinary music abilities often suffer from impaired vision, which can hinder their performance in sight-based IQ tests.