Infants and Savants - Bringing New Meaning to the Idea of Intelligence

Each year I become more and more amazed by the discoveries taking place regarding intelligence and the learning process. The first video in our post The Twelve Must See Videos of 2007 proves we knew little about learning and learned behavior in infants.

In that first video an infant of six months is exposed to shapes moving in several different ways. At times, one shape is supportive of another and at times a third shape is unsupportive. The fact that when the infant is given a choice of shapes to choose he or she selects the helpful one gives rise to the notion that infants understand helpful behavior.

The video gives new meaning to the long-standing phrase that “the apple does not fall too far from the tree.” The fact that babies are able to feel and discern helpful behavior also gives new meaning to the term “walk your talk” as a parent. Most importantly, it appears to reinforce the notion that the brain development of children, and ultimately this thing we call learning, begins immediately at infancy.

When it comes to the learning process, there does appear to definitely be two critical components. There is the nature, what a child is born with for intellect, and there is the nurture, the experience and environment a child is provided.

Language Acquisition - Reading and Writing
Under NCLB the nation has decided that every child must display basic proficiency in reading, writing and mathematics. However, even though we have made NCLB law, we have not decided upon a uniform definition of proficiency.

Furthermore we have decided that every one, regardless of intelligence, can in fact reach such a standard provided the person tries hard enough and gets the proper teaching. But this thing we call intelligence is amazingly complicated. And as complex as intelligence is, this other thing we call learning may in fact be just another power of ten more sophisticated?

Consider this man who cannot read nor write nor communicate or even drive a car:

This is a man who could never reach the proficiency standard set forth. More than likely, however, we would not worry about that fact as he certainly has obvious learning issues brought on by his brain injury.

But suppose those issues were not obvious. Suppose instead he could talk as any other adult and could process information verbally on a par with other adults. Could we immediately then make the judgment that if he/she only tried hard enough and got the proper instruction he/she could achieve proficiency in those three areas.

Language Acquisition - Music
Turn now to another savant, the pianist, Derek Paravicini. At 26-years-old he is unable to discern his right from his left. But he can communicate and he tells everyone that the thing he likes to do most of all “is to play the piano, yuup.”

Derek Paravincini is amazing yet think about his story. The first time he tried to play the piano, he did so using the backs of hands in addition to his fingers and threw in a head butt or two. Over time he certainly was taught how to utilize his hands to “properly” play the piano.

In fact his language is music and though he can speak just as any one of us can, he is also capable of speaking in terms most of us can’t, with music. And like our first man who was brain-injured, if he did not demonstrate behavior that resembled autism would we insist he should be capable of reading and writing at some fundamental level or would we agree that it might not be possible for him.

Language Acquisition - Mathematics
We take a list at one last savant, a remarkable young man with an ability to calculate like few other on earth. One who sees numbers as colors, sparks, and ….

As this young man notes so provocatively, “The line between profound talent and profound disability seems a surprisingly thin one.” And would we not say this man’s first language is mathematics.

Intelligence and Learning
As we learn more about innate intelligence and the importance of nurturing, it becomes incredibly clear that every child is indeed different. Each possesses different intellectual capabilities and encounters distinct nurturing experiences. Those two lead each child to also develop different emotional capabilities.

Among these key variables, some how, some way we got it into our heads that it was possible for everyone to demonstrate a heretofore, unnamed level of intellect and knowledge despite these fundamental differences. We did this in spite of the fact that we have no research to indicate that the very thing we decided we must do is even possible.

And the sad reality is that the first decision we made makes no more sense than the second one we made where we allowed each state to then decide on their own what the level of proficiency should be.