Daniel Tammet’s mind works in extraordinary ways. He can calculate huge sums in his head in moments.

He came to fame a few years ago when he recited pi to the 22,514th digit without skipping a beat. He speaks 10 languages. Learn Islandic and Lithuanian in a week? No problem.

Daniel Tammet has a rare form of autism called savant syndrome – one of 50 in the world today. A real life Rain Man.

As he drifts off to sleep at night he sees a landscape of numbers – numbers of all different colors and sizes – which soothes him.

Talents the rest of us can only dream about. Challenges, too.

This hour, On Point: the brilliant mind of autistic savant Daniel Tammet.

Guests:

Daniel Tammet, author of “Born on a Blue Day: A Memoir”;
Geraldine Dawson, professor of psychology at the University of Washington and director of the university’s Autism Center. She’s author of “A Parent’s Guide to Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism: How to Meet the Challenges and Help Your Child Thrive”