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Quote by Darold Treffert

“Savant syndrome is not a disorder in the same way as autism is a disorder or dementia is a disorder. Savant syndrome are some conditions that are superimposed and grafted on to some underlying disability. So savant syndrome is not a disease or disorder in and of itself. It is a collection of characteristics, or symptoms, or behaviors that have grafted on to the underlying disability.”

Quote by Darold Treffert

Author

Darold Treffert

Darold Treffert is a renowned psychiatrist, born in 1932. He has extensive research in the field of psychiatry, particularly in child psychiatry and the psychology of genius. Dr. Treffert is known for his in-depth studies on autism, Asperger's syndrome, and other related mental health issues. more

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“The term syndrome generally appears to be a constellation, or collection, of similar traits or behaviors within an individual. So, savants do have sort of a constellation of symptoms, which is characterized by some spectacular skill, or skills, coupled with this massive memory which is grafted on to some underlying disability. So those three conditions quantify, in my mind, the term syndrome.”

Mind Three Individual Term Memories Conditions Skills Behavior Collections Massive Disability Traits Symptoms Spectacular Constellations Syndromes Savants

Author:Darold Treffert

“I have a fairly strict definition of early infantile autism. That is not to say that people who don't meet that classic description don't have autism, but we might do well to narrow our definitions, and our samples, down to groups that are very similar, because I think you're more likely to find the cause.”

People Thinking Wells Might Causes Groups Definitions Classic Description Autism Strict Sample Infantile

Author:Darold Treffert

“The narrower we define autism, and the more strictly we control for particular behaviors, the more likely we are to find what I think are the subgroups of autism.”

Thinking Particular Behavior Autism

Author:Darold Treffert

“The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names in research.”

Author:Darold Treffert

“Parents don't particularly care whether it's early infantile autism or whatever label the clinicians have put on it. All they want is treatment, and they want what's best for their child, whatever that is. And when it comes to treatment, it may be that there's much more shared interventions that don't make any difference what label we're putting on it.”

Want May Children Care Parent Differences Labels Treatment Autism Intervention Infantile Clinicians

Author:Darold Treffert

“When we come to research, if we want to find out the cause of autism, we're going to have to be much more specific, and that's why when it comes to research, I'm fairly strict with respect to criteria. When it comes to treatment, I'm much more open to not making that differentiation.”

Ifs Want Causes Research Treatment Autism Strict Criteria Differentiation

Author:Darold Treffert

“I think that if I could do any sort of research of autism that I wanted to do, at this point I would take a sample of classic, early infantile autism persons and compare them with what I call "classic late onset autism", individuals. I think we will find that the cause of those youngsters with autism who have autism from birth is probably different than those who have late onset autism.”

Ifs Thinking Persons Different Wanted Individual Causes Birth Late Research Compare Classic If I Could Autism Youngsters Sample Infantile

Author:Darold Treffert

“I think one of the problems with the definition of autism is we keep expanding it. It started as "early infantile autism", and then it became "autism", and now it's "autism spectrum disorder". I'm not opposed to that from the standpoint of trying to broaden our vistas, and so forth. But from a research point of view, the term autism is lost in specificity.”

Thinking Trying Problem Lost Term Views Research Definitions Point Of View Disorder Autism Expanding Spectrum Standpoint Vistas Infantile Specificity

Author:Darold Treffert

“Originally when we talked about language disorder it was a catastrophic language disorder. It's substantial, and from a treatment standpoint it's okay to keep diluting that term, but from a research standpoint we need to be much more precise. I wish somebody would take up the mantle of just that particular task.”

Needs Language Wish Term Particular Research Tasks Okay Treatment Disorder Precise Standpoint

Author:Darold Treffert

“There does seem to be a higher educational level in parents of autistic youngsters, and I guess that's something that we need to look into.”

Needs Looks Doe Seems Parent Levels Higher Educational Youngsters Autistic Higher Education

Author:Darold Treffert