This article discusses the origins of savant skills, which are extraordinary abilities in areas such as math, art, and memory that are often found in individuals with autism or other developmental disorders. The article states that there are different theories as to how savant skills develop, including the idea that they are innate abilities or that they are the result of compensating for a cognitive deficit. However, new research suggests that savant skills may be the result of a brain rewiring process in which certain brain regions are overdeveloped or hyperconnected.