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People who have savant syndrome lead lives that are far from normal, but studying them is important. They appear to have increased blood supply to part of their brain, and a decreased flow to other parts. That is believed to be part of what accounts for what they can do, but there is no real understanding if the blood supply creates their abilities or if the blood supply is working to compensate for abilities that they do not have. SPECT studies show the increase, however, which is a provable part of how these people function and what makes them different from the rest of society. Even people with genius-level IQs cannot do what these savants can do. For example, many people can learn to play the piano well, and some can even play "by ear" - without the need for sheet music. Few, however, can hear a piece played once and then sit down and play it perfectly the first time, even when they have never had a piano lesson. The tradeoff for something such as this...
This does not mean people can learn to do things to the extent that these savants do, but it does mean that they can tap into what they have and learn to do more than they thought they could do - at least in some cases. It is not as easy as it might sound, and it is not an issue of mind over matter. However, the human mind is still an elusive thing on many levels, and there is a lot about it that scientists still do not know. Whether this kind of ability is available to all human beings is one of the things that science has not completely been able to answer just yet, and it is possible that it is a question that will never be something science can answer - but it is still worth studying.
Down Autism Down Syndrome and autism are two conditions that can affect the lives of people, including their ability to learn and to participate in society. Moreover, Down Syndrome and autism affect how a person is perceived by others. Down Syndrome is the most common genetic condition in the United States, affecting one in every 691 births (National Down Syndrome Society, 2013). It is also the most common cause of learning
In Rain Man, Raymond's area of phenomenal skill is his memory: He can remember specific details to a degree that seems supernatural. This combination of autism and specialized skill can exist but it is not at all typical of those with autism. The cause (or causes) or autism are not yet known, although there is clear genetic component. Scientists do not even know if autism is in fact a single
Blum-Dimaya, a., Reeve, S.A., Reeve, K.F. & Hoch, H. (2010). Teaching children with autism to play a video game using activity schedules and game-embedded simultaneous video modeling. Education & Treatment of Children, 33(3), 351-355. The topic of this study was to identify age- and skill-appropriate activities for children with autism using a video game platform and the popular video game, "Guitar Hero II" to improve social skills and quality of life. The authors emphasize
Pedagogic Model for Teaching of Technology to Special Education Students Almost thirty years ago, the American federal government passed an act mandating the availability of a free and appropriate public education for all handicapped children. In 1990, this act was updated and reformed as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which itself was reformed in 1997. At each step, the goal was to make education more equitable and more accessible to