The Savant Syndrome

Introduction

“Savant syndrome” is the most widely accepted term that is used to describe the phenomenon when a juxtaposition of a special learning need and a gifted ability has manifested itself within an individual. Though many studies have focused on working with students who have only one exceptional trait, either a special learning need or a gifted ability, the research on the savant syndrome is still relatively thin. How the savant syndrome is defined is overall agreed on by a multitude of researchers; what is in question is prevalence, identification, theories that aim to explain the syndrome, and what factors are important when helping these individuals be successful in the music classroom. Without understanding the very special care that must be taken when working with such students, it could be very easy to set these students up for failure rather than success. This review brings to light said resources that are not commonly encountered during undergraduate music education study and may be used as a starting point to learn more about the savant syndrome. This review of the literature has been organized into the following sections: (a) terminology, (b) overview, (c) studies and theories, (d) music savant case studies, and (e) identification of and success for music savants. Though this is not a comprehensive literature review on the savant syndrome and its connection to music education, it is certainly a valuable stepping-stone to be used when seeking guidance on the topic.

Terminology

Labeling is both a useful tool that can help music educators cater to their students’ needs and a trap that can work against them. Though categorizing students according to narrow guidelines should generally be avoided, particularly now when so much is changing in the public school system, it is important that educators set an example by using appropriate and respectful terms to refer to the individuals being discussed here.

It was in 1783 that Karl Philipp Moritz documented the first account of the savant syndrome in a scientific article, which was published in his psychology journal. He wrote about Jedediah Buxton (1707–1772), a lightning calculator and a man with an unbelievable memory (Moritz, 1783). It was not until almost exactly 100 years later that another researcher took interest in the savant syndrome. In January of 1887, Dr. John Langdon Down delivered his “Lettsomian lectures on some of the mental affections of childhood and youth” (Down, 1887). The lecture was a much more thorough account of the savant syndrome compared with that of Moritz’s. However, Down used the term Idiot Savant to refer to such an individual. Of this term that he coined, Down said, “This name has been applied to children who, while feeble-minded, exhibit special faculties which are capable of being cultivated to a very great extent” (p. 256). As the current leading savant syndrome researcher Treffert (2009) notes, “In 1887, ‘idiot’ was an accepted classification for persons with an IQ below 25, and ‘savant,’ or ‘knowledgeable person,’ was derived from the French word savoir meaning ‘to know’” (p. 1352). Down (1887) said that

one youth was under my care who could build exquisite model ships from drawings, and carve with a great deal of skill, who yet could not understand a sentence, who had to have his food dissected for him, and who, when writing to his mother, copied verbatim a letter from The Life of Captain Hedley Vicars, by Miss Marsh, although it had not the slightest appropriateness in word or sentiment. (p. 256)

This individual was one of a small handful that Down described during his lecture. Though he did not specify in his lecture how many people he encountered in his studies who had the savant syndrome, he did say that he did not know of a single female who had the syndrome. Though perhaps more readily known as the first to fully describe Down syndrome, it is Down who documented the first descriptive account of individuals with the savant syndrome in his lecture.

Today, Treffert is one of the primary investigators in the field and the researcher who coined the term savant syndrome (Treffert, 1989). Other terms had been used prior to this new term, including monosavant (Charness, Clifton, & MacDonald, 1988). Heaton and Wallace (2004), however, believe that neither “monosavant” (Charness et al. 1988) nor “savant syndrome” (Treffert, 1989) truly captures the uncommon juxtaposition of a special learning need and a gifted ability. Regardless, “savant syndrome” is still the most appropriate term used to refer to these individuals.

Overview

Treffert (2009) uses Down’s observations as a beginning point to highlight a few key ideas in his own research. Treffert discusses the prevalence of the condition, the rarity of the syndrome in females, and the spectrum of talents and skill levels that Down observed. In addition to this, he briefly speaks of how no one theory can explain the savant syndrome and also how specific educational approaches can help savants be successful (Treffert, 2009). As a brief review of the literature in and of itself, this source directs the reader to valuable published works. While Treffert (2009) is an overview of his findings, he has two definitive books on the topic as well. Treffert (1989) is where he introduced the term savant syndrome and Treffert (2010) offers more updated and expansive information on these individuals. Treffert has committed 40 years of his life to investigating the savant syndrome and, having won several awards, Treffert’s (2010) work has quickly become a landmark in regard to the savant syndrome. This book addresses (a) what is already known of the savant syndrome, (b) what has recently been discovered, (c) specific savant case studies, (d) thoughts from other researchers in the field, and (e) where research is heading. This book can be used as a reference or as a very informative source even for those who are already acquainted with the savant syndrome.

Another source that provides an overview of studies on the topic is Heaton and Wallace (2004). This is an extensive analysis of some of the most important studies completed about the savant syndrome. The authors conclude that because autism is seen so often in savants, further study of this developmental disorder is essential so that a better understanding of the savant syndrome is obtained. This literature review will focus primarily on autistic musical savants because of the frequency in which it occurs within such individuals.

Studies and Theories

What makes the savant syndrome so fascinating is that despite the efforts of so many researchers, it is still not clear how the savant syndrome occurs in specific individuals. However, the literature on the theories that aim to explain the condition is still growing, and the ones included here are supported with quantifiable evidence. In this section, an emphasis will be placed on studies that have involved music savants.

Pring (2005) supplies an overview of some of the cognitive theories that have been put forth in recent years in regards to the savant syndrome. She notes three theories that could potentially explain why the savant syndrome occurs: (a) extended practice, (b) rote memory, and (c) weak coherence. The theory that extended practice explains why savants excel in their specific talent domain does have some truth to it. However, Pring notes that this does not explain how a talent manifests itself in the first place, which happens very early in a savant’s life even with no formal training. Pring believes that savants do not practice to improve their skill but rather because they enjoy it. In regard to rote memory, this theory may explain how calendar-calculating savants can find their way around a calendar. Although there are formulae and algorithms that can be used to make calendrical calculations, Pring thinks it unlikely that savants use such methods. She offers that perhaps in this case it is a combination of both extended practice and rote memory. The third and final theory that Pring reviews is weak coherence. To better grasp the idea of weak coherence, it is necessary to turn to Frith, the founder of the theory.

Frith first investigated the idea of “local and global processing” and labeled it as “Weak Central Coherence theory” (WCC) in 1989. For the purposes here, her updated edition of the book (2003) will be referenced. Frith (2003) suggests that one way of describing WCC is “the unusual ability to disregard context” (p. 154). While Gestalt psychology, a theory that the brain sees things in a holistic manner, explains the typically developing individual, Frith believes that WCC explains the autistic individual. Frith uses the block design test to support this theory. In this test, subjects must create a large geometric shape using small building blocks. The large shape corresponds to the gestalt, the larger picture, whereas the small blocks represent hidden figures within the gestalt. Autistic individuals tend to outperform their typically developing peers in this test. WCC is a widely agreed on theory that attempts to explain the savant syndrome and has been replicated many times, which will be seen in the following studies in this section. First, a closer look at a study completed by Mottron, Peretz, and Ménard (2000), a study recommended by Frith that very directly supports her findings, is appropriate.

The Mottron et al. (2000) study involved two groups of participants: the clinical group consisting of 13 participants with high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome, and the control group consisting of 13 typically developing participants matched by chronological age, nonverbal IQ, and laterality. The participants were asked to distinguish between different melodies by saying if they were the same or different. The melodies were transformed by transposing the entire excerpt, by changing the contour, or by the changing of a pitch while maintaining the contour. Both groups had a difficult time comparing transposed melodies with their nontransposed counterparts. However, the clinical group outscored the control group in discriminating the melodies with a changed pitch. This study was a clever way of taking the block design test and transferring it into a musical medium: the transposition of a melody involves global processing; error detection involves local processing. Mottron et al. (2000) believe that through the study of autistic savants a better understanding of the sometimes outstanding musical capabilities of nonsavant autistic individuals may be obtained.

A study by Bonnel, Mottron, Peretz, Trudel, Gallun, and Bonnel (2003) suggests that there may be a neurological compensation in the brains of autistic individuals (not just savants) that allows them to be more sensitive to pitch discrimination and categorization, which could also lead to an explanation of why some autistic individuals have a natural affinity to music. The study involved a group of 12 typically developing subjects (all male) and a group of 12 high-functioning autistic subjects (11 male and 1 female). The specific ages were not given but they were all said to be “adolescents” or “young adults.” The subjects were given two hearing tests. The first involved pitch discrimination using an audiometric hearing test. Subjects were asked to listen to two successive tones played by the audiologist. The frequency of the first tone could be 500, 750, 1,000, or 1,500 Hz. If the second tone played were different, it would be only 3%, 2%, or 1% higher. The second pitch could also be the same as the first one played. Subjects then needed to distinguish if the pitches were the same or different. It was found that there was a higher correlation between confidence and correct responses in the high-functioning autistic subjects compared with the typically developing group. For the second test, pitch categorization, again, tones were played for the subjects. This time, the lowest tone was 1,000 Hz and the other tones possible were 1,010, 1,020, or 1,030 Hz. Subjects were asked to categorize the pitch as high or low. Again, the clinical group scored higher than the comparison group in the categorization task. The researchers acknowledge that this enhanced pitch perception may support the observation that autistic individuals often excel when given musical tasks (Bonnel et al., 2003, p. 230).

The Bonnel et al. (2003) study was further supported by one completed by Heaton (2003). Heaton notes that absolute pitch is almost always found in musical savants. In this study, she takes a look at all autistic individuals (even nonsavants) with the hypothesis that they all have great pitch memory and the ability to label pitches according to pictures they were shown while hearing specific pitches. Fourteen autistic children with no prior musical experience between the ages of 7 and 15 years participated in this study. Two control groups were used as well. These control groups were matched to the experimental group based on chronological age, gender, and several other factors. The first experiment involved pitch memory and pitch labeling, which included matching pitches to pictures of animals. The subjects were shown a picture of an animal and its corresponding pitch was played simultaneously. There were four different animals and pitches used. The author calls this the “familiarisation session” (Heaton, 2003, p. 546). Once this was completed, the subjects completed a pitch identification test. The subjects were asked to listen to the pitches played and to point to the animal that the pitch corresponded to. The clinical group outperformed the two control groups. In the second experiment, the subjects needed to distinguish the labeled tones from within chords. “The experimenter gave the following instructions: ‘I am going to play three of the animal notes together, and I am going to leave one out. Can you point to the animal whose note is missing?’” (Heaton, 2003, p. 546). Again they found that children with autism performed better than the control group. The last experiment asked them to distinguish unlabelled tones from within musical chords (tones they had not been exposed to in the first or second experiments). In this experiment, specific conclusions could not be drawn, but they found that for the autistic individuals their performance was above chance level for 60% of the individuals, which is higher than the two control groups. Heaton concluded from this study that autistic and typically developing children process pitch information in very different ways.

Wallace, Happé, and Giedd (2009) looked at a specific individual in their study. The authors have decided to try and quantify calendar calculation and artistic skills in a savant who goes by “GW.” They have found that there is no true correlation between IQ and savantism. However, they did find that the size of his bilateral segment of the superior parietal lobe was thicker than in the control group. Interestingly enough, this lobe has been associated with drawing and other visuospatial functions, which include calculating abilities. This is important because with this study, there is now a quantifiable and concrete example of something that physically correlates with a savant’s talents (Wallace et al., 2009). Of course, for such a study to carry much meaning, this would need to be replicated with a much larger participant pool. If this could indeed be replicated on a broader scale, this could very well be a breakthrough in understanding the physical characteristics of the brain of a savant.

There are two experiments that Snyder has carried out with other researchers that are relevant as well. In Snyder, Mulcahy, Taylor, Mitchell, Sachdev, and Gandevia (2003), the researchers attempted to evoke savant-like skills in typically developed individuals by stimulating the left fronto-temporal lobe with low-frequency magnetic pulses (Snyder et al., 2003, p. 149). This of course begs the question, why the left fronto-temporal lobe? Snyder et al. (2003) offers several reasons for this. First, the idea of WCC suggests that savants have access to a lower level of processing than the typically developing individual (Frith, 2003). Second, the fronto-temporal lobe is connected to the savant syndrome in those who develop the condition later in life because of fronto-temporal lobe dementia. Finally, because Snyder believed that brain activity needed to be inhibited in order to allow for lower-level processing to emerge, repetitive magnetic stimulation (rTMS) could be used to accomplish this (Snyder et al., 2003, p. 150). The experiment included 11 right-handed male volunteers from a local university who were unaware of the hypothesis of the study. rTMS was administered to the left fronto-temporal lobe (Snyder et al., 2003, p. 151). The participants were asked to draw pictures from memory before, shortly after, and even longer after the stimulation. Proofreading accuracy was also assessed. The researchers found that artistic performance had not improved, but for 4 of 11 participants, the style of their drawings did change. Two of those subjects also improved at proofreading (Snyder et al., 2003, p. 156). Although the researchers were unable to prove for sure that suppression of the left fronto-temporal lobe causes savant-like abilities, they are certainly headed in the right direction as far as finding a neuropsychological cause for the savant syndrome. This being said, more research and studies must be conducted along these lines to draw additional conclusions.

A second experiment was explored in Snyder, Bahramali, Hawker, and Mitchell (2006), this time attempting to uncover numerosity skills in typically developing individuals. This time, the researchers stimulated the anterior part of the left temporal lobe (Snyder et al., 2006, p. 837). The participants included 12 right-handed volunteers recruited from the student population at a local university consisting of 5 males and 7 females between the ages of 19 and 33 years. Participants were shown uniform blue ellipses on a white background for 1.5 seconds (Snyder et al., 2006, p. 839). They were then asked to say how many ellipses they had seen on the white background. Following this portion, they were asked to do this exercise after having been stimulated. Immediately following stimulation, 10 out of the 12 participants improved their ability to guess the number of blue ellipses (Snyder et al., 2006, p. 840). The researchers go on to conclude that

the observed improvement in participants’ numerosity, following the application of rTMS to the left anterior temporal lobe, is predicted by theory, is consistent with the left-brain dysfunction implicated in the savant condition, and accords with contemporary views about hemispheric competition and the disinhibiting influence of rTMS. (Snyder et al., 2006, p. 844)

Although the Snyder studies are no doubt a large step toward understanding the mechanics of the savant syndrome, more research along these lines would need to be completed to draw more stable conclusions.

Music Savant Case Studies

Though the scholarly research on the savant syndrome is very informative and important, to place that research in context, it is necessary to look at specific cases of individuals with the syndrome. DeBlois and Felix (2005) offer information for music educators and for parents of savant syndrome children. As the mother of blind and autistic musical savant Tony DeBlois, Janice DeBlois has spent much of her life becoming an advocate for the rights of those with exceptionalities and has let nothing come in the way of fostering her son’s musical talents. This book, which focuses specifically on Tony’s case, is a retelling of how and why encouraging a savant’s talents is essential to his or her growth as a person. Embedded in this book are bits of advice from Janice on how to advocate for proper schooling for individuals with exceptionalities, particularly in making sure that an Individualized Education Plan is in place and that the student has access to the resources he or she needs. In addition, Janice describes Tony’s life in great detail, many of the unique occurrences that happened before and during her pregnancy with Tony, and how these occurrences most likely shaped who Tony is today. Tony represents a typical musical savant quite well; he has a natural affinity for music making and has taught himself to play 20 different instruments, piano being his favored instrument; he is on the autism spectrum; and he was diagnosed with retinopathy of prematurity. By reading this specific account, a relationship to research findings that correlate with what Tony has been through in his life can make the scholarly research more meaningful.

Cathleen Lewis has had many successes as a professional as well as the mother of her son, Rex Lewis, a blind and autistic savant. Lewis (2008) retells their story of how Rex unraveled his musical talents and how she tirelessly advocates for his rights in the classroom. Seeing such a severe lack of resources for individuals who are vision impaired as well as autistic, she has committed much of her life to helping others like Rex, as well as their parents, find their way through the system. As a result, she has also become certified as an Educational Specialist in Visual Impairments. Rex is considered to be much further along the autism spectrum and so music has been used as a healthy way to express himself. He had also been diagnosed as having septic-optic dysplasia, resulting in blindness. By the age of 7 he was labeled as a musical genius when Treffert and other such researchers encountered him. As of age 18, he has won numerous awards for musical accomplishments.

Written with the music educator in mind, Ockelford (2007) also focuses on a musical savant named Derek Paravicini. Adam Ockelford has committed much of his work after graduating from the Royal Academy of Music in London to trying to understand how blind children, as well as those with other exceptionalities, are able to be so musical. Ockelford mainly talks about his work with Derek Paravicini, an autistic musical savant with retinopathy of prematurity. Ockelford has worked with Paravicini for a number of years. In particular, he worked to improve Paravicini’s technique, which he did through demonstration and imitation. Paravicini has performed around the world and even has music that has been specifically written for him. He is known for being able to take requests from his audience, transposing it into any key, and reimagining it into many different musical styles.

Identification of and Success for Music Savants

It is worth noting, as was seen with the select case studies referenced, that it is common to encounter a savant who has above-average musical talents, an impairment of sorts (such as autism), and is also blind. The literature that will be discussed here suggests that this trio of occurrences can be used as a basis for identifying musical savants. There are several ways in which musical talent can be gauged in savants. First off, the individuals in the case studies all favored the piano as their primary music-making medium. Miller (1989) says this in regard to the preference for piano:

Availability is surely one factor. Keyboards of some type are probably much more common as musical instruments for the young child. The keyboard also maps its sound producing qualities onto the musical culture in a direct fashion. That is, a reasonably well-tuned piano contains the alphabet of the musical language laid out in a coherent spatial organization. The piano also offers a kind of feedback that is likely useful to the savant. (p. 204)

Savants do not always gravitate toward the piano, but many do and if this does happen over a period of time, further investigation and observations of the student in a musical setting may reveal more about their abilities. Emphasizing musical savants in their research, Howlin, Goode, Hutton, and Rutter (2009) investigated the different types and frequency of savant syndrome, whether or not savant skills were linked to cognitive ability, the prevalence among males and females, and the relationship between savant syndrome and repetitive and restricted behaviors. These researchers found that 17% of the subjects tested had some sort of exceptional cognitive skill and that these skills were more prevalent among males than among females, which replicates Down’s observations as he noted in his Lettsomian Lectures. The researchers also acknowledge the fact that parents often possess vital information that can be helpful in identifying a student with this syndrome because they spend so much time with their children during their daily activities. A questionnaire was distributed to parents asking if their child had “any outstanding skills and talents at a level that would be unusual even for normal people” (Howlin et al., 2009, p. 1361). Of the 90 questionnaires returned, 45 individuals were described by their parents as having some kind of special skill (Howlin et al. 2009, p. 1362). In regard to musical skills observed, one parent noted that their child “has perfect pitch and is able to identify chords in pieces of music with ease” while another had “taught self to play the clarinet and guitar” (Howlin et al., 2009, p. 1366). It is difficult to quantify musical ability. At this time, informal observations, such as the ones in Howlin et al. (2009), by both parents and teachers, seem to reveal the most about exceptional musical skill.

Determining whether or not a student has autism is beyond the scope of this article, but both the Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised (ADI-R) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) are used frequently when diagnosing an individual with autism. In the past, IQ has been considered as a factor in the savant syndrome. However, Bölte and Poustka (2004) argue that IQ scores are not relevant in measuring the abilities of savants. They used two groups in their experiment, one that consisted of 33 autistic savants and the other of 26 autistic nonsavants. They compared IQ performance using the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children or Adults. They found no correlation between IQ and their success on the various Wechsler measurements. Because there was such a wide range in IQ in the savant group (36–128), they concluded that IQ does not play a role in these abilities. They suggest that savants scored better than nonsavants because of their access to lower-level processing as was discussed earlier (Frith, 2003). Because of this, savants are able to see the parts, rather than the whole of a problem, which is what they were tested on.

Retinopathy of prematurity, septo-optic dysplasia, and Leber congential amaurosis are the most commonly found types of blindness that occur in savants (Treffert, 2010, p. 68). It is interesting that all three of these traits, rare in and of themselves, occur very commonly among savants. As a music educator, one should be aware that for students who exhibit one of these conditions, they might find success at the piano. The piano, as was stated by Miller (1989) earlier, is spatially organized in a very clear way.

Reis and Small (2005) note that students with both a gift and a developmental disability can be at risk for social and emotional problems and are also hard to identify. They point out a few “characteristics that hamper identification as gifted” (Reis & Small, 2005, p. 24). These characteristics include but are not limited to (a) frustration with inabilities, (b) learned helplessness, (c) lack of motivation, (d) perfectionism, (e) low self-esteem, (f) unrealistic self-expectations, and many more. In the music classroom, these can especially be amplified because so much of the curriculum is performance based. Students are constantly performing in front of their peers, and it is important that they are able to make music in a nurturing classroom environment. Reis and Small (2005) also note their strengths, including (a) having a variety of interests, (b) having a good memory, (c) having great spatial abilities, and (d) having high levels of creativity. These are valuable assets in the music classroom. Rather than viewing these students as needing extra help in the classroom, focusing on their strengths and placing them in leadership roles may actually boost their self-esteem. Their typically developed peers can certainly learn something from their natural gifts.

Krochak and Ryan (2007) advocate for a “multifaceted” approach when identifying what they call gifted/learning disabled students. The authors say that behavioral checklists, portfolio reviews, measures of cognitive processing, input from parents and teachers, and the use of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking are all important forms of evaluation. The authors take this idea one step further and suggest that “a comprehensive identification and assessment package could be developed for psychologists that includes recommendations on all the tests, scales, checklists and other assessments needed to adequately identify gifted/learning disabled students” (Krochak & Ryan, 2007, p. 51). Compiling concrete identification methods into a so-called assessment package is the next step. In the music classroom, consider recording the students playing their instrument of choice, keep a log of what instruments they tend to favor, and pay careful attention to their pitch accuracy and ability to memorize music. These aspects are important when identifying musical savants.

For a student to be successful in the music classroom, on the most basic level, they must first be included and mainstreamed with their typically developed peers. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that all students be educated in the least restrictive environment. Usually, this entails some sort of inclusion practice. Adamek and Darrow (2005) give suggestions on how to overcome the following three barriers that pose a challenge for successful integration of students with disabilities into the music classroom: (a) organizational barriers, (b) attitudinal barriers, and (c) knowledge barriers. The first, organizational barriers, includes the physical layout of the music classroom. The authors suggest that teachers should “set up the music room or rehearsal space in a way that provides an adequate structure for the needs of the students who are in the classes” (Adamek & Darrow, 2005, p. 46). For attitudinal barriers, all students and faculty involved must give these students the respect and support they need. “Positive attitudes, language, and respect by the teacher provide an appropriate model for students to develop positive attitudes about students with disabilities in the class” (Adamek & Darrow, 2005, p. 47). Finally, for knowledge barriers, it is important that the teacher knows about the students and their particular characteristics. “Develop intervention strategies and classroom accommodations to support the student’s learning in music class” (Adamek & Darrow, 2005, p. 48). For twice-exceptional students, Reis and McCoach (2002) recommend the following four ideas: “(a) encourage compensation strategies, (b) promote awareness of strengths and weaknesses, (c) focus on developing the child’s gift, and (d) provide an environment that values individual differences” (p. 117). With an awareness of strengths and weaknesses comes the ability to develop compensation strategies. If a student particularly excels in a certain task in the music classroom, then that skill should be further nurtured. This relates to focusing on the child’s gift, which can surely increase his or her confidence in the classroom. The last aspect, creating a positive environment valuing individual differences, should be found in every classroom regardless of the background of the students. However, with students who have one or more exceptionalities, it is important that their typically developed peers acknowledge and respect them as a fellow student. The bottom line is that “it is important that we allow students with serious disabilities to have the opportunity to show us their strengths and intellectual abilities” (Reis & McCoach, 2002, p. 117).

All students should be given choices in the music classroom. They should be allowed to explore their own creative ideas in a number of different ways. Identifying a savant starts by letting them show the teacher what they are capable of. If they are not afforded this opportunity, these students may never be able to explore their full potential.

Conclusion

The literature reviewed here pertains to the topic of the savant syndrome and more specifically what it means for the music educator. Understanding the progression of terminology is important because proper labeling of savants is a crucial part of their success as individuals. Several studies have also been completed on the prevalence of the syndrome, how to identify such students, and how to help them achieve. This being said, educators need to know of the resources and techniques at their disposal in order to help identify these students so that they can help them be successful. There are many theories that attempt to explain the savant syndrome. However, there is still much debate over how the savant syndrome occurs, and further research must happen in this area. The case studies presented help paint a picture of people who harbor this syndrome and provides context for the scholarly research. Although over the years a good overview of knowledge on the topic at hand has been obtained, the literature still lacks information on the neurological underpinnings of the syndrome and teaching methods to help such students thrive. Though not comprehensive, this literature review gives the music educator resources so that they may obtain a basic understanding of the savant syndrome.