DEFINING THE SAVANT-SYNDROME

Current uses of the term (idiot) savant are reviewed In contrast to th e original use of the term which emphasized certain kinds of exception al skill and general mental deficit, recent usage has expanded to incl ude a variety of disabling conditions and levels of exceptionality. It is suggested that the implications of any particular study depend upo n a careful documentation of the level of skill present and the nature of the accompanying deficit. A conceptual approach is outlined which compares working definitions of ''savant'' with those of ''learning di sability.''