Hanks, (Forrest Gump). This quote symbolizes a lot in people don't get to choose what

They are given; they have to work with what they have. This is the case in literature as

Well as in life for those who live with an idiot savant syndrome. Forrest Gump, Raymond

Babbit, and real-life savant Alonzo Clemons all deal with the fact they are not the same as everyone else. Though dealt certain mental deficiencies, idiot savants, whether fictional or real, all excel in some aspect of their lives.

Idiot savant, is a term that is defined as "a mentally defective person with an exceptional skill or talent in a special field" (Random House 951). Dr. J. London first described the syndrome in 1887, who also had described Downs Syndrome years earlier. He found that an idiot savant has a highly developed ability to play music or to solve complex math equations at great speeds. Savants usually have an IQ of above forty this would usually insure only moderate mental retardation, not severe as one might think.

The mental handicap of a savant can be described as autism or mental retardation. These skills exist within a very narrow range of human abilitie

Psychiatric Foundation. "Savant Syndrome." Psychiatric Dictionary. 1996 7th Edition

Forrest excelled in the game of ping-pong. "I played as if I were a duck in water" (Forrest Gump). He played so well that Forrest went on to be on the army's all-star ping-pong team, and traveled to China to challenge foreign opponents. After his service in the army, Forrest went on to start a multi-million shrimp excavating business called BubbaGump Shrimp. As if that weren't enough, Forrest was also able to rekindle his old flame with Jenny, have a son, and get married.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Dr London, Medical Society, Hanks Forrest, Medical Board, Abbot Costello, Forrest Gump, Sally Gibb, Alonzo Clemons, Vegas Raymond, Charlie Raymond, idiot savant, idiot savants, forrest gump, medical society, san diego, mental retardation, random house, savant syndrome, public school, forrest gump played, excel aspect, mental deficiencies idiot, dealt mental deficiencies, deficiencies idiot savants, wisconsin medical society,
Approximate Word count = 1658
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)