Extraordinary Variations of the Human Mind: Darold Treffert: The Incredible Savant Syndrome

Darold Treffert shares the fascinating story of Leslie Lemke, a musical savant, to provide a look at the characteristics of savantism. Recorded on 05/05/2017. [3/2019] [Show ID: 32447]

More from: CARTA: Extraordinary Variations of the Human Mind: Lessons for Anthropogeny

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[tracyerskin]

I climbed onto our roof when I was 2 and fell. When I got home from hospital I went to the piano and played songs I was hearing on the radio. On a family holiday a few years later I was given a guitar and entered the Caravan Park talent quest a few days later and won. By the end of High School I taught myself to play 6 more instruments. But I was a loner and people considered my weird. Kids made fun of me, and I lashed out. Even though I could solve mathematical problems instantaneously, I failed Maths because I couldn't show how I got my answers. I was sent to a Child Psychiatrist before Autism was a diagnosis - instead, I was labelled with a Personality Disorder and spent years of my childhood zonked out on pentabarbitone - a pretty strong barbituate for a little kid. But years later, it worked itself out. I became a Piano Bar entertainer, then later, a Music Teacher which I love ... and finally, the true diagnosis was given - I was told I had Savantism - and medication was no longer necessary.

[trishtraynor]

Oh my word. I didn't know how rare my gift was. I'm Autistic, and can sing a completely new piece of classical music by simple ' intuition '. Like my brain knows the likelihood of what the next note will be. I learned to follow the notation known as neumes when I was being prepared for school aged 4. I sang the Latin Mass every Sunday in the church choir from the age of 10' and I played the violin but although I can read music it means nothing to me until I hear it played by someone else first. I have synaesthesia so listening to words is exhausting because I see pictures of all the shapes and colours and sometimes quirky images of certain phrases.
I'm so grateful to be autistic. of my 6 grandchildren are autistic too, and 3 of them ...girls...have perfect pitch.

[Commander_Cat]

Wow he sings beautifully too! And that part on how it's became a full circle and Leslie lifts May out of her Alzheimer's disease when he's playing...so moving.

[lastzodiac]

I'm dead, he's answering her question and not missing a beat on that song he was singing WOW! He has the words to the song and answers to her qusetion coming at the same time, like a multi thinker!!!

[frogg]

I was diagnosed with ASD and GDD at age 2. In grade 6, I chose the trombone after there were too many euphonium players because I did not want to play the flute (my mom played it when she was younger).
During that year, I hated the trombone because I was forced to have private lessons with a community band director.
The next following year, I found the community band that I joined, so I stayed on the trombone. I saw my group of friends in a higher level band, so I pushed myself to be in that band. In music lessons, and I was pushed.
I did a jazz camp and I really liked the trombone instructor, so I was put into lessons with him through the conservatory from grade 8 until grade 12.
I’m now going into my 3rd year of music at my local university, still having lessons with the same trombone instructor. People have told me I can play really really good, but I have little to no self-esteem.

[robertopettyo]

People always thought I was a complete idiot until I grew up. Now they know I am a complete idiot.

[clayton]

Diagnosed with ASD, never played an instrument growing up, even took guitar lessons but was never that interested it wasn’t until I was 23 and a mate gave me a Takamine he picked up from a garage sale, I learnt the c cord and could play an improvised melody straight away, to me it feels like I’m playing super Mario running along hitting every jump perfectly

[valentinekaluba]

The human mind is so sophisticated so much so it's impressed by itself...👀

[davidwheatcroft]

Wow! Thank you. The piano guy so amazing and uplifting. Man is marvellous; has worked so hard to get us where we are. Applaud him.

[Primo_extracts]

His definition of nature and nurture gave me goosebumps in a mystical way, not a fearful way

[joseh]

Ver moving to see his beautiful mother sing to God, with hands of praise, the hymn with her son. She is a blessed soul. 🙏

[rebeccahashimoto]

Oh my, I am so glad that this showed up in my feed

[giovannamoro]

If an expert is reading this comment i would like to describe what happens to me during a migraine episode . My brain composes by itself incredibly intricate simphonies or other types of music . This is amazing to me since i have absolutely no knowledge of notes or of classical music or of playing an instrument . It actually annoys me when it happens because that loud music inside my head makes it hurts even more . The music it's often accompanied by very vivid images and voices on the background . Only once my head composed a live concert in a Manhattan transfer style with music and singers singing .it was an original made by the brain though not a copy from the real group but much more powerful and complex . I've always thought that we all have these hidden capabilities inside our brains how could we explain otherwise what happens . In my case it happens when my brain is inflamed and in pain. As far as i know i'm not asperger but i have adhd .

[leeorshimhoni]

"they know things they never learned". they have extrasensory perception. they do not know. they reconstruct it in their mind. it is a streaming dynamic process of pattern emergence. they can never know.

[danielfarley]

Omg, I googled this and literally listened to penguin cafe orchestra when going into my savant state... synchronicity at its finest

[abisekkharel]

There is one man who was recently come in lite in Nepal named Bijaya Shahi. He could read the book with thousands of page within hour and can memorize everything. When he was asked to write the sentence in random page number of book he reads he will write exactly everything.

[baronessvarney]

Does he have perfect pitch? His voice seemed perfectly on pitch.

[DrBible-ThD-HarvardLaw]

My older brother’s IQ was measured at over 160 in high school. He skipped 2 1/2 years college taking advance standing exams and was in Mensa. I was 20 points behind him but observing what a misfit he was I taught myself to dumb down. I’ve been happy and content ever since. It’s true “There’s a thin line between genius and idiots.” I’d rather be on the low end.

[FutureLaugh]

If youve ever taken an IQ test, you realize right away its a piss poor way to test someones intelligence. If you spend 15 minutes studying the format of the test and its answers, you can easily become a genius.

[ValisX]

this is such a great example of ‘getting what you give’ - She adopted that poor pitiful baby that was like a lump of dusty coal and there was a diamond inside