Derek Paravicini on 60 Minutes Video

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.This Sunday night Derek Paravicini was on 60 minutes with Leslie Stahl. Derek Paravicini is blind and an autistic savant but he has awesome talents in music. This musical prodigy currently lives in Surrey, England. He is now 30 years old and he has problems in communicating verbally or physically. But when he plays the Piano, every other thing fades and becomes unnecessary.
Paravicini was born premature and at the neonatal care unit, the oxygen therapy on him caused his blindness and his brain was also underdeveloped. He had severe learning disability and developed autism. But he was gifted with an awesome capability to remember and play a piece of music even if he had heard it once. He started to play the piano by the age of two. He attended the Linden Lodge School for blind in London. When he first visited the school, he broke free to the music room of the school where a piano was being played. Adam Ockelford was the piano player. He encouraged him and arranged the lessons for him.
Paravicini does not only play any piece of music that he has ever heard but he can also play them in any style you like. He can take a show tune and play it in jazz style and then he can be back again smoothly. He has problems in social interaction but he really has some beautiful Piano expressions. The savant syndrome does not always come with this type of talents and unfortunately most of the talents in these people are lost as we don’t care about them.