I am asking this question for my youngest brother Joshua. He has Asperger's Syndrome, can only read on a 3rd grade level, and has a severe speach impediment. His math skills only include the most basic addition and subtraction. But give him a broken computer and in a very short time period (depending on what is wrong with it 5 minutes to 2 hours) and he will not only tell you in detail what is wrong with but he will also fix it and most likely it will work better than it ever did before. In 1994 at age 5 he fixed my alarm clock....it wakes up my household and the house next door every morning. I am asking because if he is a titled savant he will be able to get a computer related job (people are more likely to look past him twitches and moodiness if they can brag that a savant is working with them....at least in this area). What type of testing would he need to go through. Thank you for your answers.
2007-03-02 12:24:08 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Special Education
Most likely, his psychiatrist could give him this title. There are many different types of savants in Autism/Asper. If he is gifted in this area he can be referred to as a savant. There is not a test but MRI's have been done that pick up some things about savants. The main thing is that he picked up this skill mostly on his own, which is surely the case because of the young age that he picked up the skill. Realize that the stress of a job situation or being supervised can backfire for an Autistic person. It is doubtful that he will get a job just because he is a savant. And you don't want him to be exploited in any way. Also if he is in need of Medicaid later in life, it would mess things up if the state thought he was able to provide for himself. Lots of Aspergers people can adjust to society and jobs and provide for themselves, but others need a support system. And many times the only way it can be paid for is by Medicaid. Best of luck to you and yours.
2007-03-02 12:41:35 · answer #1 · answered by whrldpz 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What your brother can do is remarkable, but I do not believe he falls in the savant range, how ever call a local university and talk to someone in the
Psych department I am sure that a grad student would love to interview him. Talk to a person at Best Buy, or some other computer type store and ask for a part time job. Is He out going?
2007-03-02 12:39:09 · answer #2 · answered by lakelover 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Im not sure what exactly would be needed to qualify him a savant, but most places dont care if you are a savant just that you can do the job. I would suggest that he get a job coach and see what kind of skills he can acquire that would allow him to work with computers.
2007-03-03 06:19:59 · answer #3 · answered by chellyk 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't believe there is testing for a "savant". If he is already diagnosed with asperger's then that is enough. Most children/adults with Asperger's have an ability in one area that superceeds all other areas. Its wonderful that your brother can do that. His school/job should focus on this and help him develop it even further so that he may be successful in life.
2007-03-03 07:27:47 · answer #4 · answered by Jess 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋