Podcast appearances and mentions of Darold Treffert

A leading expert in the psychology of savantism for over 40 years and the scientific advisor for the film Rain Man, Darold Treffert is a wellspring of knowledge on this fascinating yet often misunderstood condition. In this episode we cover the brain anatomy of savantism, its causes and some of the incredible abilities of famous savants like Kim Peak, who memorized thousands of books verbatim (down to the page number)! We feel fortunate to have had this chance to learn so much about such an interesting topic from one of the most well respected researchers in the field. Please enjoy and tell us what you think!

Darold Treffert shares the fascinating story of Leslie Lemke, a musical savant, to provide a look at the characteristics of savantism. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 32447]

Darold Treffert shares the fascinating story of Leslie Lemke, a musical savant, to provide a look at the characteristics of savantism. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 32447]

Darold Treffert shares the fascinating story of Leslie Lemke, a musical savant, to provide a look at the characteristics of savantism. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 32447]

Darold Treffert shares the fascinating story of Leslie Lemke, a musical savant, to provide a look at the characteristics of savantism. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 32447]

Darold Treffert shares the fascinating story of Leslie Lemke, a musical savant, to provide a look at the characteristics of savantism. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 32447]

Darold Treffert shares the fascinating story of Leslie Lemke, a musical savant, to provide a look at the characteristics of savantism. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 32447]

 Dr. Darold Treffert is a psychiatrist and the world's leading expert on savants, genius, and autism. He has an unparalleled commitment to children and learning and a deep understanding of what makes us human beyond the Homo sapiens brain. Today he shares the beauty of early intervention, some incredible stories, and insights to allow us to look differently at life. "It is just an amazing difference early intervention makes. I think we'll see the payoff of that eventually in terms of preventing some of the impairments that go with autism." - Dr. Darold Treffert Three Things We Learned Making early intervention possible Dr. Treffert started a center to offset a growing list of children who needed intervention and were forced to wait for nine to twelve months to be accommodated. The effort didn't aim to merely expand. They took on the role of teaching educators and therapists to affect change in a system thwarting progress for early intervention programs. The earlier, the better According to Dr. Treffert, diagnosis of learning differences is best done for children around the age of two. Many areas offer free intervention programs for parents who wish to have their children evaluated. But the difference in the progress of children subjected to early interventions and those made to wait is striking. The Treffert Approach Dr. Treffert and his team have come up with a five to six-step process that they impart to therapists and educators in an effort to optimize the intervention programs for children with autism. Making the right differential diagnosis leaves the door ajar for other possibilities involving a child. A multidisciplinary approach is also tantamount to ensuring that all areas of a child's development are properly examined. There's a plethora of approaches for intervention. But the process must involve not only professionals and parents who know their children better. Integrating them in early intervention programs can make all the difference in a child's progress towards realizing their hidden potentials. Bio: Dr. Darold Treffert is an alum of the University of Wisconsin Medical School in 1958, an intern in Eugene, Oregon, and a resident in Psychiatry at University Hospitals in Madison, Wisconsin. Two years after joining the staff to develop the Child-Adolescent Unit of Winnebago Mental Health Institute, he was named Superintendent in 1964. After 15 years of service in the position, he divided his time between the private practice of Psychiatry and a position as Executive Director of the Fond du Lac County Health Care Center. An internationally known researcher on Savant Syndrome, he has published several books and journals. Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome, published in 1989, has been translated and published in eight other countries. His most recent book on the topic—Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired and Sudden Savant—was published in 2010. Mellowing: Lessons from Listening has also been widely distributed, an earlier book on preventive mental health and stress management. Featured in various talk shows and documentaries, Dr. Treffert was a consultant to the movie Rain Man, in which Dustin Hoffman portrays an autistic savant. He maintains a Website on savant syndrome through the Wisconsin Medical Society. In 2006, Dr. Treffert received the National Torrey Advocacy Commendation from the Treatment Advocacy Center in Arlington for his efforts on behalf of mental health law reform and treatment access for the severely mentally ill. He has been listed in The Best Doctors in America, by peer selection, beginning in 1979. Dr. Treffert has been a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin Medical School and the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.  In 2016 Agnesian HealthCare established the Treffert Center on the campus of St. Agnes Hospital to preserve, expand and disseminate Dr. Treffert's work on savant syndrome and other form...

Dr. Darold Treffert is a retired psychiatrist and current researcher in the fields of savant syndrome and autism. Darold has appeared on 60 Minutes, CBS Evening News, McNeil/Lehrer Newshour, Larry King, Today, Donahue, Oprah, Discovery Channel. Dateline, CNN and a number of documentaries in the United States and other countries. His work has appeared in numerous publications including Time, People, Newsweek, USA Today and Scientific American. Darold has also published two books on savant syndrome and they can be found here and here. He also served as a consultant for the 1988 movie Rain Man which depicts the life of an autistic savant.  In this episode we discuss savant syndrome, the use of psychedelics in psychiatry, paranormal experiences of autistics and many other topics. The Treffert Center was founded in Dr. Treffert's name and can be accessed at www.treffertcenter.com.   For more episodes or information about "The State of The Universe with Brendan Drachler" visit thestateoftheuniverse.com or follow Brendan on Twitter and Instagram @BrendanDrachler.   The State of the Universe is an accessible science and social podcast hosted by Astrophysicist Brendan Drachler. Listen to Brendan and other renowned members of the scientific community discuss and explain the cutting edge research occurring across the world today!

The human brain is a treasure trove for mysteries that continue to elude our understanding. When we hack the mind of the leading geniuses in the world, do we come close to answering our own questions? Today, psychologist extraordinaire Dr. Darold Treffert shares with us half a century's worth of brain pickings on geniuses, savants, autism, and the human potential. “If people with this much inability can have this kind of ability, what does that mean about the ability within us all?” - Dr. Darold Treffert Three Things We Learned Savants display a juxtaposition of disability and superior ability Dr. Treffert refers to savant syndrome as a rare and extraordinary condition where someone with an underlying disability has some island of genius that stands in stark contrast to overall handicap. This disconnect is so jarring that the exceptional ability immediately captures the attention of any observer. He fondly recalls encounters with an autistic child who could tell which street corner a Milwaukee bus was passing at any given time of the day and a kid who could tell him what happened in history on a given date at a time of the encyclopedia. There's exceptional ability within us all In order to understand our own potentials, the trick is to know how to tap our deeply-buried abilities without having some kind of brain injury or disease. These abilities lie dormant within every human mind. It's a challenge we all must take to seek it and make it bloom to become what it can be. “Our job in trying to deal with a child with autism is to find that island of intactness, celebrate it, love it, congratulate it, nurture it, and let it come to its full human potential, and that's what I see happening in savants that I followed in many years.” - Dr. Darold Treffert Acquired savants exist When a person suffers from an injury or condition that induces brain trauma, they can develop abilities that they have never exhibited before. It can be a sudden inclination towards music or art, even mechanical abilities. These cases corroborate the claim that the human mind may be an unsolvable labyrinth. Comprehending the workings of the complicated circuitry that is the human mind is as much a travail as learning the functions of the thousand neurons that make up the connections. It's fascinating how the human mind can be considered a separate entity from the anatomical part that is the brain. In this context, our minds, indeed, may be a dimension unconquerable by the human ability. Bio Dr. Darold Treffert is an alum of the University of Wisconsin Medical School in 1958, intern in Eugene, Oregon, and a resident in Psychiatry at University Hospitals in Madison, Wisconsin. Two years after joining the staff to develop the Child-Adolescent Unit of Winnebago Mental Health Institute, he was named Superintendent in 1964. After 15 years of service in the position, he divided his time between the private practice of Psychiatry and a position as Executive Director of the Fond du Lac County Health Care Center. An internationally known researcher on Savant Syndrome, he has published several books and journals. Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome, published in 1989, has been translated and published in eight other countries. His most recent book on the topic—Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired and Sudden Savant—was published in 2010. Mellowing: Lessons from Listening has also been widely distributed, an earlier book on preventive mental health and stress management. Featured in various talk shows and documentaries, Dr. Treffert was a consultant to the movie Rain Man, in which Dustin Hoffman portrays an autistic savant. He maintains a Website on savant syndrome through the Wisconsin Medical Society. In 2006, Dr. Treffert received the National Torrey Advocacy Commendation from the Treatment Advocacy Center in Arlington for his efforts on behalf of mental health law reform and treatment access for the severely mentall...

Few people would or should want to learn to recite Pi to 22,514 decimal places, draw landmarks in breathtaking detail, or remember the contents of 12,000 books. Everyone is different. By refusing to gawp at these feats, preferring instead to focus on the person behind them, Dr Treffert sends out the message that it is the creative, imaginative processes at the root of such abilities that matter most. Only by considering the context of savants’ lives can we more fully and properly understand the gifts that they possess. Dr. Darold Treffert received his medical degree and psychiatric residency training at the University of Wisconsin Medical School. His first position was setting up a Children’s Unit at Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Winnebago, Wisconsin. That is where he met his first savant in 1962. He was a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin Medical School, Department of Psychiatry for many years. He has written extensively in the professional literature on the rights of the mentally ill, stress management (under the title of Rustproofing People or Mellowing), autism and savant syndrome. In 2016 Agnesian HealthCare, St. Agnes Hospital, established the Treffert Center to preserve and expand Dr. Treffert’s work with savant syndrome and other forms of exceptional brain performance. To learn more about Provocative Enlightenment Radio, go to http://www.provocativeenlightenment.com

The human mind is one of the features that makes our species unusual, and any narrative of our origins must include explanations for how our mental facilities were generated by genetic and cultural evolutionary processes. Comparative studies with the minds of other species and direct studies of how the typical human brain creates the mind are valuable approaches. However, many useful clues can also be gleaned from studying extraordinary variations of the human mind. This Symposium brings together experts who have pursued in-depth explorations of some of these variations. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 32438]

The human mind is one of the features that makes our species unusual, and any narrative of our origins must include explanations for how our mental facilities were generated by genetic and cultural evolutionary processes. Comparative studies with the minds of other species and direct studies of how the typical human brain creates the mind are valuable approaches. However, many useful clues can also be gleaned from studying extraordinary variations of the human mind. This Symposium brings together experts who have pursued in-depth explorations of some of these variations. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 32438]

The human mind is one of the features that makes our species unusual, and any narrative of our origins must include explanations for how our mental facilities were generated by genetic and cultural evolutionary processes. Comparative studies with the minds of other species and direct studies of how the typical human brain creates the mind are valuable approaches. However, many useful clues can also be gleaned from studying extraordinary variations of the human mind. This Symposium brings together experts who have pursued in-depth explorations of some of these variations. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 32438]

The human mind is one of the features that makes our species unusual, and any narrative of our origins must include explanations for how our mental facilities were generated by genetic and cultural evolutionary processes. Comparative studies with the minds of other species and direct studies of how the typical human brain creates the mind are valuable approaches. However, many useful clues can also be gleaned from studying extraordinary variations of the human mind. This Symposium brings together experts who have pursued in-depth explorations of some of these variations. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Science] [Show ID: 32438]

A leading expert in the psychology of savantism for over 40 years and the scientific advisor for the film Rain Man, Darold Treffert is a wellspring of knowledge on this fascinating yet often misunderstood condition. In this episode we cover the brain anatomy of savantism, its causes and some of the incredible abilities of famous savants like Kim Peak, who memorized thousands of books verbatim (down to the page number)! We feel fortunate to have had this chance to learn so much about such an interesting topic from one of the most well respected researchers in the field. Please enjoy and tell us what you think!

Certain individuals with developmental disorders such as autism sometimes develop remarkable musical, mathematical, or artistic abilities. Psychiatrist Dr. Darold Treffert, an expert on the savant syndrome, joins us to discuss this fascinating condition.