What are the medical reasons that Derek Paravicini is a blind English autistic savant and a musical prodigy?”
Derek Paravicini (born July 26, 1979) is a blind English autistic savant and a musical prodigy. He currently lives in Surrey, England. Paravicini was born extremely prematurely, at 25 weeks. (A normal pregnancy lasts 40 weeks.) His blindness was caused by oxygen therapy given during his time in a neonatal intensive care unit. This also affected his developing brain, resulting in his severe learning disability. Furthermore Paravicini developed autism. However, he also has absolute pitch and can play a piece of music after hearing it once. He began playing the piano by the age of two. His parents arranged for him to attend the Linden Lodge School for the Blind in London. On his introductory visit to the school, in the music room he broke free from his parents, then headed straight for a piano being played, and then pushed the player, Adam Ockelford, aside to take over. Ockelford encouraged him and arranged first weekly and then daily lessons.[1][2] He was featured a second time by 60 Min
Derek Paravicini, a blind savant from England, is profiled tonight on CBS’ 60 Minutes. Paravicini, 30 years old, has a difficult time communicating verbally and physically. But he plays the piano at a level that is beyond brilliant; it seems almost otherworldly. As Lesley Stahl looks on and makes requests, as if sitting next to a Billy Joel type piano man in a dark lounge, Paravicini seamlessly and effortlessly transitions between classical, pop, and show tunes. Not only, in fact, is Paravicini able to play any piece of music that he’s ever heard, he’s able to play them in any number of different styles, taking a show tune, for example, and playing it in a jazz style and back again as if he is simply changing the stations on a television. Asked, however, to take his hands off of the piano and raise three fingers for the camera, Paravicini awkwardly raises both hands and seems lost. The juxtaposition of Paravicini’s awkward social interactions and his beautiful piano expression is as st
He is a blind English autistic savant and a musical prodigy. He currently lives in Surrey, England. Paravicini was born extremely prematurely, at 25 weeks. (A normal pregnancy lasts 40 weeks.) His blindness was caused by oxygen therapy given during his time in a neonatal intensive care unit. This also affected his developing brain, resulting in his severe learning disability. Furthermore Paravicini developed autism. However, he also has absolute pitch and can play a piece of music after hearing it once. He began playing the piano by the age of two. His parents arranged for him to attend the Linden Lodge School for the Blind in London. On his introductory visit to the school, in the music room he broke free from his parents, then headed straight for a piano being played, and then pushed the player, Adam Ockelford, aside to take over. Ockelford encouraged him and arranged first weekly and then daily lessons. He was featured a second time by 60 Minutes on March 14, 2010.
