Check out this savant

Absolutely amazing. I wanted to stand and cheer him at the end...

This was discussed earlier. Yeah, he is GREAT! It is a shame that such people are often so bad off elsewhere. Who knows though, he seems to accept what is said to him, and not try. Obviously, the ONLY thing that saved him for music was that he REALLY wanted it and was exposed to something that allowed it to happen. And MOST of what people do is HABIT! It doesn't matter whether it is reading, writing, speaking, doing math, or driving, HABIT! Even playing the piano.

Frankly, I can understand how he can play the piano, and not button his shirt. If you think about what is required to button your shirt, it isn't so simple. You use a hand, which is generally the least capable to find the hole, align it right, and work with the other hand which has to poke the button through, catch it on one side while the less capable hand must then move the material behind the button. It would seem the piano requires LESS dexterity. Of course, with the piano, the problem is timing and handling perhaps ten keys, while maybe handling 2 other characteristics simultaneously.

So it is like the conscious mind is curious and has goals and desires. Our everyday stuff might be a REAL chore if not for the fact that another area of the mind takes on the tasks. It seems that that first part of dereks mind is just too affected.

Steve

Actually, geniuses aren't substantially deficient in any of about 4 areas. Derek may be deficient in all of them. He IS SO good in one popular area that savant is a more correct term. I don't think music would come under ANY of the 4 tested areas(math, logic, visual, vocab, as I recall), but would be in one of the 3 or so that generally aren't tested, so even an IQ test wouldn't really show this talent.

Steve