Logo
Daniel Tammet Headshot
Report a problem with this profile
[email protected]

Daniel Tammet      

Daniel Tammet is the author of \"Born on a Blue Day,\" about his life with high-functioning autistic savant syndrome.

Daniel Tammet is a writer, linguist and educator.

He is the creator of Optimnem, a website that has provided language learning instruction to thousands around the globe.

His 2006 memoir "Born on a Blue Day" describes his life with high-functioning autistic savant syndrome; his new book, "Embracing the Wide Sky: A Tour Across the Horizons of the Mind," is a personal and scientific exploration of how the brain works and the differences and similarities between savant and non-savant minds.

Tammet set a European record on March 14, 2004, when he recited the mathematical constant pi (3.141...) to 22,514 decimal places from memory in a time of 5 hours, 9 minutes.

Speech Topics

Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant

Daniel Tammet, speaking with poise, humor and self-awareness, shares his journey in overcoming and coping with autism. Called "The Rosettea Stone of Autism," he can perform incredible feats of memory and visualize numbers in a way that has cognitive scientists buzzing. Yet, his greatest achievements may be the ones most people take for granted: moving out of his parents' home, supporting himself and having a long-term relationship. He offers illuminating personal insight into the worlds of autism, Asperger's, and other severe cognitive impairments. He hopes to make the world a more welcoming place for people with such disabilities, and to show that, often times, these people lead literally extra-ordinary lives.

Embracing the Wide Sky: A Tour Across the Horizons of The Mind

In this talk, Daniel Tammet speaks with his characteristic clarity to shed light on the mysteries of savants' incredible mental abilities-- and our own. The differences between savant and non-savant minds may be exaggerated; autistic thought, he argues, is an extreme variation of a kind that we all do, from daydreaming to the use of metaphors. With scientific research and descriptions of how his own mind works, he explains how our natural intuitions can help us to learn a foreign language, and why there is more to intelligence than IQ. Of note are his original ideas concerning the genesis of genius and exceptional creativity, which he illustrates with examples from the breakthroughs, and breakdowns, of some of history's greatest minds. Pointing to the immense potential in all of us, Tammet leaves you with an imaginative portrait of how we think, learn, remember and create.

Related Speakers View all

More like Daniel