Daniel Tammet is an autistic savant.

He can perform mind-

boggling mathematical calculations at breakneck speeds. But
unlike other savants, who can perform similar feats, Tammet can
describe how he does it. He speaks seven languages and is even
devising his own language. Now scientists are asking whether his
exceptional abilities are the key to unlock the secrets of autism.
According to the author, Daniel Tammet’sabilities are memorizing large numbers such as Pi,
multiplying big amounts ina couple of seconds and creating his own language. On the other hand,
theauthor mentions some daily activities that cannot do, like wiring a plug, going……

There was an interesting piece in last weekend’s Guardian (A Genius Explains) about a high-
functioning autistic who is also a savant (i.e. he’s got amazingly intellectual abilities – he can recall
pi to 22,514 decimal places for example). Autistic savants are more common than non-autistic
savants, but usually they aren’t able to quite so lucidly explain how they manage to do the things
they do.

The article left me curious, and a little jealous (“It’s mental imagery”, he said “It’s like maths
without having to think.”) and makes me feel like we’re in for some interesting times ahead as
research into savantism, synthesia, developmental cognitive neuroscience and mental imagery
converges.

31-year-old Daniel Tammet is an unremarkable young man. But behind Tammet's bookish exterior
lies a superhuman gift: one of the most extraordinary brains our planet has ever seen. He is a
mathematical genius, capable of astronomical calculations in the blink of an eye. And he's a gifted
linguist, speaking nine languages, including one he created called Manti.

Tammet says he was born with the ability to experience numbers in an exceptionally vivid way.