iwakar
crush the fences
- Joined
- May 2, 2007
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How does a TBI resulting in OCD, Synesthesia, & Acquired Savant Syndrome affect type?
The violent attack that turned a man into a math's genius
What sort of typing would be relevant for this man if any? Is there value in making his type a moving target?
Is it safe to assume that once a threshold of any given type of intelligence is eclipsed that type theory stops being relevant or applicable to a person? What other factors inhibit the relevance or usefulness of type theories for a person? Mental illness? High overall intelligence? Brain injuries? Psychological trauma?
The violent attack that turned a man into a math's genius
Just under 17 years ago he was living a very different life in Tacoma, Washington.
“I was very shallow,†he laughs. “Life rotated around girls, partying, drinking, waking up with a hangover and then going out and chasing girls and going out to bars again.â€
Maths wasn’t on his radar whatsoever.
“I used to say ‘math is stupid, how can you use that in the real world’? And I thought that was like a smart statement. I really believed it.â€
“I heard as much as felt this deep, low-pitched thud as the first guy ran up behind me and smashed me in the back of the head,†he recalls. “And I saw this puff of white light just like someone took a picture. The next thing I knew I was on my knees and everything was spinning and I didn’t know where I was or how I got there.â€
Padgett staggered to a hospital across the street where he was told he had concussion and a bleeding kidney thanks to a punch to the gut. “They gave me a shot of pain medication and sent me home,†he remembers.
But once home, Padgett’s behaviour changed quickly and dramatically. He had sustained a traumatic brain injury, which can bring on obsessive compulsive disorder - OCD.
But while Padgett was experiencing all these negative consequences from his attack, something incredible was happening too. The way Jason was seeing things, changed.
“Everything that was curved looked like it was slightly pixelated,†he explains. “Water coming down the drain didn’t look like it was a smooth, flowing thing anymore, it looked like these little tangent lines.â€
The same thing happened with clouds, sunlight streaming between trees and puddles. To Padgett, the world essentially looked like a retro video game. Seeing such a radically different view of his surroundings evoked conflicting emotions in Padgett. “I was surprised…confused. it was beautiful but it was also scary at the same time.â€
Because of these visions, Padgett began to think about huge questions in relation to mathematics and physics. Given his hermit-like existence at that time, the internet became a valuable source of information to him as he read extensively about mathematics online.
Brogaard believes the brain injury Padgett sustained caused him to develop a form of synaesthesia where certain things triggered visions of mathematical formulas or geometric shapes, either in his mind or projected in front of him. She also hypothesised that synaesthesia made Padgett an acquired savant.
“Most of us don’t have that kind of insight because we don’t visualise mathematical formulas,†says Brogaard.
“They found that I had access to parts of the brain that we don’t have conscious access to and also the visual cortex was working in conjunction with the part of the brain that does mathematics, which obviously makes sense,†says Padgett.
Brogaard’s hypotheses turned out to be true. Padgett was formally diagnosed with acquired savant syndrome and a form of synaesthesia. Finally, he had answers.
What sort of typing would be relevant for this man if any? Is there value in making his type a moving target?
Is it safe to assume that once a threshold of any given type of intelligence is eclipsed that type theory stops being relevant or applicable to a person? What other factors inhibit the relevance or usefulness of type theories for a person? Mental illness? High overall intelligence? Brain injuries? Psychological trauma?