Abstract: Savant skills are characterized by outstanding mental capability despite of coexisting severe mental disabilities. It is surprising that approximately 50 percent of individuals with savant skills described in literatures appeared to meet the criteria for autism/ASD. In this systematic review, we summarize the characteristics of savant skills in autism and the traditional explanation of them in the area of cognitive psychology. Then we introduce the recent results in neurocognitive researches, which especially emphasize the potential application of the Pathological “cerebral dominance” model and the Autistic model. According to these results, we conclude that savant skills in autism was mainly related to pathological “cerebral dominance” and abnormity on the brain connectivity. In addition, the heredity and the repeated training also play an important role.

Key words: savant skills, autism, pathological “cerebral dominance&rdquo, model, Autistic model