The Good Doctor Contradicts Media’s Portrayal of Mental Health and Little-Known Savant Syndrome

The new, much-anticipated medical drama The Good Doctor finally premiered last night, September 26 on ABC—and all eyes were on Freddie Highmore, as he made his debut playing young autistic surgeon Shaun Murphy. Many shows and films have gotten bad raps in the past for misrepresenting mental illnesses or perpetuating negative mental health stigmas, such as Pretty Little Liars and Silver Linings Playbook; so the pressure is on for the Bates Motel star and The Good Doctor’s producers who hope to break ground in the media’s portrayal of mental health.

A common misconception about individuals with autism is that they aren’t as smart as others or that they’re intellectually disabled. And it’s this very stigma that is addressed by the staff of San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital in the show’s premiere, who voice their concerns about Dr. Shaun Murphy’s ability to be an exceptional doctor. Luckily, Shaun’s mentor is the hospital president who passionately vouches that Shaun is more than capable of being a good doctor: thanks in part to his autism, as well as another condition called savant syndrome. Despite the common belief that autistic individuals have lower IQs and cognitive capacities, they typically have normal to high IQs instead, and some may even excel in a certain area like math or science—especially if they have the aforementioned savant syndrome. Savant syndrome is a condition that causes certain individuals with mental disabilities, such as autism, to have an “island of genius” or particularly extraordinary skillset. And regardless of what this skillset may pertain to, it is always connected to a massive memory.

Shaun’s savant syndrome allows him to memorize and recall various conditions, protocols, and treatments related to his job as a surgeon, which is very apparent throughout the first episode. In the opening scene, a construction crew accidentally dismantles a glass sign that shatters on a young boy walking below. A calm Shaun approaches the incident, first correcting another doctor’s approach to saving the kid’s life before taking it into his own hands, as guided by his perfect memory of a child’s anatomy displayed on the screen for the viewers. He continues to recall and evaluate these visuals throughout the episode as he fights to save the young boy, despite a lack of support from the other doctors.

While we don’t yet know much more about how The Good Doctor plans to discuss savant syndrome, the show does promise to tackle the topic further. In the meantime, we can take matters into our own hands and explore what experts so far know about the mysterious condition that the character of Shaun Murphy is built on:

• One in 10 individuals with autism have savant skills. So not all of those with autism have savant syndrome, and not all of those with savant syndrome are autistic either.
• Savant skills usually occur in a rather small range of special capacities. These general categories include music, art, math, calendar calculating, and mechanical or spatial skills. Typically, only one special skill exists, but it’s possible for several to emerge.
• There is also a spectrum of savant skills. A set of skills called ‘splinter skills’ are most common. These include an obsession with and memorization of license plate numbers, historical facts, and sports trivia, to name a few examples.
• As mentioned earlier, the skills are always linked to an extraordinary memory. This memory has been called ‘automatic, mechanical, concrete, and habit-like’.
• Some individuals are born with savant syndrome, while others acquire it. Usually savant skills appear in childhood due to a developmental disability he or she had at birth, but it’s also possible for savant skills to appear later, such as after a brain injury.
• Savant skills last a lifetime. As long as the individual continues to use these special skills, they will persist and maybe even excel further.

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