“An Idiot Savant With Unusual Mechanical Ability”, 1979-05 (; backlinks):
Reports the case of a mildly to moderately retarded institutionalized man “Mr. A” who demonstrated an unusual ability to repair mechanical and electrical devices.
The patient’s condition fits the general paradigm of the idiot savant phenomenon:
His intellectual performance (IQ of 55–65) was within the proposed minimum range for idiot savantism, his abilities were strengthened by a great amount of motivation and practice, and he received extensive social reinforcement from staff and other residents.
…Mr. A entered public school at age S and left at age 15. He did not learn to read or write and was unable to write his name without a model. He did not speak until age 10. His favorite activity in school was working with machinery…He has not learned to sign, despite repeated attempts over the years…Periodic intelligence tests over the last 25 years have typically placed his intellectual functioning in the IQ range of 55–65, with far better performance than verbal scores. He can meet all of his self-care needs, tell time, and make change: however, he cannot read, nor can he write anything but his name.
…Since his admission to residential institutions, Mr. A has received much attention for his unusual mechanical abilities. Previous records note that he typically repaired clocks, electric hot plates, and bicycles of other residents or staff. He was able to disassemble and clean the cottage dishwasher. He ran the film projector and built lamps, requiring only that the appropriate materials and tools be made available to him.
Because of his extreme slowness and deliberateness, standardized tests for mechanical aptitude have proven unreliable and of questionable validity in assessing his abilities. Therefore, a naturalistic experimental assessment was done in 1978 to measure Mr. A’s mechanical abilities. In one task, he was given a broken electric alarm clock to repair. Within an hour, he correctly traced the problem to a break in the wiring, at which point he shrugged and handed the clock back to the examiners. In the other task, he was given a 10speed bicycle that was broken in several places to diagnose and, if possible, repair. Over two consecutive evenings, Mr. A successfully diagnosed all of the problems and indicated by gesture which tools he would need to repair the bicycle.
Mr. A has his own workbench and a set of power tools, and he engages in a variety of mechanical projects in the cottage. He repairs bicycles for other residents, constructs wood-paneled and mirrored coat-racks for sale, and spends much time adding mirrors, lighting fixtures, and extra electrical connections to his own stereo equipment, lamps, and bicycle. His most recent project has been to connect the wiring of his stereo set, headphones, and room lamp with one switch beside his bed…Staff members proudly show even the most casual visitor to the cottage Mr. A’s tools, materials, and completed electrical and mechanical projects, which fill his room and part of a nearby lounge area. From his satisfied smiles and low chuckles as he works, it seems clear that he also receives strong self-reinforcement for these mechanical pursuits.