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years of constant care before this changed. During this time, he could sing somewhat and repeat some phrases, but was not conversant, and was distant and unemotional. He could repeat verbatim and in the exact tone what he had heard, including, "Foster mother has done well, but the time will come when institutional placement will be necessary." To teach him to walk, the approximately four and a half foot May devised a strap system by which Leslie could be supported while he walked with her.
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283:". As time went on, Leslie became more verbal and more musically accomplished, and increasingly creative and witty. After playing back a musical piece he had heard, he sometimes launched into an improvisation of it. He was known to have composed songs on the spot, singing with a baritone voice. His verbal IQ is 58.
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was so severe that he could not hold eating utensils, this handicap disappeared when playing the piano. By age 12 Leslie was playing the piano and singing songs he had heard for hours on end. Though he had not often heard classical music, when he was about 16, his foster parents awoke in the middle
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Though social services had warned May Lemke that Leslie was likely to die, she maintained that he would not die under her care. To feed him, May sometimes placed cereal on his tongue and stroked his throat to encourage him to swallow. It was a year before Leslie could chew food on his own. It took
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When Leslie was 7, Joe and May Lemke obtained a piano for him, with May placing her hands over his to play some simple tunes. Soon Leslie was playing these tunes on the piano and used other instruments such as drums, accordion, and chord organ. Even though his
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in 1952. As a complication of his premature birth, he developed retinal problems, then glaucoma, and his eyes had to be surgically removed in the first months of life. He also had brain damage that caused
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Leslie could remember and play back a musical piece of any length flawlessly after hearing it once. Among the many songs he was estimated to know, two that he often sang were the
Christian hymns "
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Darius, Helene (University of Skövde, School of
Humanities and Informatics). "Savant syndrome – Theories and Empirical findings." (PDF)
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Islands of Genius: The
Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired, and Sudden Savant
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336:'s song, "Leslie is Different" and makes a short appearance in Michael Vey 4.
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290:. His newfound fame gained him invitations to television shows such as
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and severe intellectual disability. His birth mother gave him up for
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from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially
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428:"Autistic Savant Leslie Lemke | Families Affected by Autism"
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286:By 1980, Leslie was regularly giving concerts in
106:who is most notable for his work as a musician.
582:People with hypoxic and ischemic brain injuries
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402:"Leslie Lemke: An Inspirational Performance"
332:as May Lemke. Leslie is also the subject of
260:of the night to Leslie flawlessly playing
151:about living persons that is unsourced or
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222:Learn how and when to remove this message
509:. Doubleday Canada, 1997, p. 25, .
346:His adoptive mother May Lemke developed
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552:The Autistic Savant And The Work World
521:May's Boy: An Incredible Story of Love
339:Leslie has toured the United States,
234:Leslie Lemke was born prematurely in
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637:American musicians with disabilities
617:20th-century American male musicians
475:"Whatever Happened to Leslie Lemke?"
632:People with intellectual disability
597:People from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
547:Whatever happened to Leslie Lemke?
543:from the Wisconsin Medical Society
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479:Scientific American Blog Network
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76:Piano, singing, numerous others
607:20th-century American pianists
350:and died on November 6, 1993.
325:The Woman Who Willed a Miracle
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98:(born January 31, 1952) is a
523:. Thomas Nelson Inc., 1983.
452:. London: Jessica Kingsley.
448:Treffert, Darold A. (2011).
129:biography of a living person
408:. Wisconsin Medical Society
406:Wisconsinmedicalsociety.org
156:must be removed immediately
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627:People with cerebral palsy
602:Musicians from Milwaukee
16:American musician savant
612:American male pianists
400:Treffert, MD, Darold.
288:Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
143:Please help by adding
622:American blind people
507:All Things Considered
541:Leslie Lemke profile
266:Piano Concerto no. 1
236:Milwaukee, Wisconsin
149:Contentious material
348:Alzheimer's disease
473:Treffert, Darold.
315:That's Incredible!
277:How Great Thou Art
127:This section of a
572:American adoptees
529:978-0-8407-5784-5
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86:1980–present
82:Years active
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567:1952 births
341:Scandinavia
262:Tchaikovsky
58:Fond du Lac
561:Categories
376:References
334:Fred Small
322:broadcast
309:60 Minutes
257:spasticity
182:newspapers
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484:August 4,
370:Hikari Ōe
318:In 1983,
296:Man Alive
134:citations
110:Biography
102:American
47:Milwaukee
354:See also
245:adoption
160:libelous
68:Musician
577:Savants
279:" and "
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