5. Tony DeBlois
In 1975, American Tony DeBlois was not only born autistic, but blind. His lack of sight resulted in a remarkable elevation of another sense – hearing. Tony was playing the piano by age two and has over 20 instruments in his repertoire, with jazz as his preferred genre. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts in 1996 and now plays solo concerts worldwide, in-between jamming with his band, “Goodnuf”.
4. Jerry and Mary Newport
Savant super-duo Jerry and Mary both have Asperger’s Syndrome. They have co-written several successful books, including “Autism-Asperger’s & Sexuality” and “Mozart and The Whale – An Asberger’s Love
Story”, which was adapted into a film with Josh Hartnett and Radha Mitchell. Jerry is a mathematical Savant, which is an obsession that sometimes consumes him, and Mary’s genius lies in art and pianos.
3. James Henry Pullen
Poor James, aka the Genius of Earlswood Asylum, was born in an unfortunate era for Savants. After being born in Dalston, London in 1835, he was quickly dismissed as deaf, mute and developmentally disabled. James was confined to institutions his whole life, where he experienced crippling mood swings ranging from depression to blind rage. It wasn’t until a handicraft session at Earlswood Asylum that his true talents were revealed. He would spend night and day designing cabinets, figurines and other woodwork items then carving them out by any means possible. Some of his masterpieces are displayed around England to this day.
2. Daniel Tammet
Daniel Tammet, a highly functioning autistic, credits severe childhood epilepsy to his Savantism. London born Daniel experiences synaesthesia, which is vivid imagery of letters and numbers, and is a master of numbers and languages. He speaks 11 languages, learned fluent Icelandic in seven days for a TV show, and is currently creating his own lingo – “Mänti”. Thirty-one year old Tammet is openly gay and runs an online e-learning company with his partner, from their home in Kent.
1. Kim Peek
“Put him in an institution and forget about him” was what the doctor told Kim Peek’s father. Yet, the refusal to do this enabled the world to see the amazing feats of an individual who would have been otherwise condemned. Born with part of his brain missing, Kim has physical and social disabilities, but is uniquely a non-autistic Savant, with incredible memory skills. He read and memorized books from the age of 16 months and remembers 98.7 percent of what he reads today – be it history, sport, geography, music, or even the phone book. Kim is renowned as the inspiration for the epic film, “Rain Man”. Kim is now 56 and has made considerable improvements in his social skills.
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