Daniel Tammet: an Autistic Savant - one real life "Rain Man" Daniel Tammet's mind works in extraordinary ways. He can calculate huge sums in his head in moments. He came to fame a few years ago when he recited pi to the 22,514th digit without skipping a beat. He speaks 10 languages. Learn Islandic and Lithuanian in a week? No problem. Daniel Tammet has a rare form of autism called savant syndrome - one of 50 in the world today. As he drifts off to sleep at night he sees a landscape of numbers - numbers of all different colors and sizes - which soothes him. Some numbers have shapes and sounds. To know more about Daniel Tammet, read his new memoir: "Born on a Blue Day." Tammet believes that his savant talents likely resulted with a short bout with epilepsy, and cites examples involving others. While he writes of seeing numbers as shapes and colors, this book offers no insight into how he actually performs complex calculations. On the other hand, Daniel is trying to help expert researchers understand these processes, so perhaps someday others will benefit. His really special skill is being able to communicate well with others - a talent most savants lack. Talents the rest of us can only dream about. Challenges, too. More on Newton Dad's Blogs >>>
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