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While some may dislike the Oscar winning film, "Rain Man," it has always had a special place in my heart. For me, watching it was a revelation - it gave me a name, for the first time, for what made me different. When I read today that the man who inspired the movie, Kim Peek, passed away last Saturday, I was deeply saddened.
Over the years, Kim has inspired many people, from school children to fellow savant, Daniel Tammet, whose meeting with him was taped for the documentary "Brainman." (An encounter which still has the power to move me to tears.) As the Associated Press quotes: "'It was just unbelievable, all the things that he knew,' Fran Peek [his father] said Monday. 'He traveled 5,500 miles short of 3 million air miles and talked to nearly 60 million people — half have been students.'" That's an amazing impact...and quite a legacy to leave.
Kim met screenwriter Barry Morrow at a conference in the early 1980s where, the Associated Press reports "... the writer was taken with Peek's knack for retaining everything he heard. Morrow wrote the script, and the movie went on to win Oscars for best film and best actor for Dustin Hoffman, whose repetitive rants about being an excellent driver and the 'People's Court' about to start were a hit with moviegoers."
What surprises many people is that Kim was actually not autistic. Dr. Darold Treffert, consultant on the movie and author of the book "Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome" writes: "Along the way to its completion, the original script for the movie Rain Man underwent a number of modifications. While Kim Peek served as the initial inspiration for the story, Raymond Babbitt, as portrayed so admirably by Dustin Hoffman, is a composite savant with abilities drawn from a number of different real life individuals. The main character in that movie, Raymond Babbitt, was modified to be an autistic savant. The story thus is that of a person who is autistic but also has savant skills grafted on to that basic autistic disorder. It is important to remember, therefore, that not all autistic persons are savants, and not all savants are autistic. In preparation for his role, Dustin Hoffman spent time with several other autistic savants and their families, as well as with Kim."
According to Dr. Treffert, "Kim Peek was born on November 11, 1951. He had an enlarged head, with an encephalocele, according to his doctors. An MRI shows, again according to his doctors, an absent corpus callosum — the connecting tissue between the left and right hemispheres; no anterior commissure and damage to the cerebellum. Only a thin layer of skull covers the area of the previous encephalocele." His unique brain structure led to his amazing abilities, but also caused difficulties. He found many typical daily activities, such as dressing himself, difficult.
Despite his challenges, he was able to memorize every book that was read to him by the time he was 16-20 months old. Over the years he was able to developed encyclopedic knowledge in at least 15 subject areas. He was an expert in everything from history, to literature, area codes, zip codes, classical music, and calendar calculations. Barry Morrow summed up Kim's impact on people in the following quote: "I don't think anybody could spend five minutes with Kim and not come away with a slightly altered view of themselves, the world, and our potential as human beings."
In honor of the man he profiled and knew for many years, Dr. Treffert wrote the following tribute:
"There has never been, and there will never be, another person like Kim Peek. His talents were unique, exceptional and spectacular. And the story of the love and bond between he and his Dad was inspirational. Their willingness to share both the skills and the story with so many audiences world-wide so unselfishly was their gift to us. Kim says 'Rain Man changed my life.' Well, Kim, you in turn, along with your Dad, touched and changed our lives as well.
Last night I looked up and saw a new star in the heavens. It shown brightly but it had a uniquely different shape than all the rest. It was truly one of a kind. Kim was one of a kind.
Kim went home for Christmas."
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