Lawrence Kim Peek 1951-2009

Few people have not heard of 'Rain man' and yet, mention 'Kim Peek' on whom 'Rain man' was based, and they say 'Who?'! Laurence Kim Peek was born on November 11 1951 where it was immediately evident that he was different as his head was substantially larger than average. He was born with congenital brain abnormalities which included damage to the cerebellum and agenisis of the corpus callosum, a condition in which the bundle of nerves that connects the two hemispheres of the brain is missing.

Kim was a floppy, fussy baby and his parents were later advised to put him in an institution. But fortunately for him, his parents would not entertain such an idea and in the absence of any other professional advice, they decided to raise him the same as his brother and sister. He was not, as many believe, autistic, although he was behaviourally autistic. Later in life he was diagnosed as probably having FG Syndrome - a rare genetic syndrome linked to the X- chromosome and causing physical anomalies and developmental delays. As a result of these problems he was socially impaired but had an eidetic (photographic) memory which meant that he had savant syndrome. His IQ was measured as being below normal and he had was developmentally delayed with co-ordination problems; he could not, for instance, dress himself unaided. Kim's father, Fran Peek, noted that as early as 16 months his son was not only able to not read, but to memorise things. He would read a book in an hour and retain most of the information. By using his right eye for the right page and his left eye for the left page he could read two pages at once.

At around age seven he was sent to a local school, but was expelled on the first day for being disruptive. There was no appropriate provision for special needs children in 1950s America so his father had to have him tutored at home using a series of retired teachers. By the time he was 14, Kim had completed the high school curriculum, but the local authorities shamefully refused to award him a certificate. Twenty years later he eventually received the High School Certificate he had earned!

At 18 he started working in the accounts department of a community centre. In his spare time he continued to absorb and memorise books on almost any subject including the complete works of Shakespeare.

At this time he had a small social circle and rarely travelled but, in 1984 on one rare trip away from home, he attended the national conference of the Association of Retarded Citizens in Arlington, Texas, and it was there that he was discovered by Barry Morrow. After spending four hours with Peek, the screenwriter approached Fran Peek and asked him to share his son with the world. Fearful that Kim might become part of a freak show, Fran ignored the request. Two years later, however, Morrow contacted him to explain that a film studio had just bought a script he had written.

From that moment on, Kim's quiet and protected life began to change in many beneficial ways. Dustin Hoffman, who played Raymond Babbitt in the film 'Rain man' needed to prepare for his role and spent time with three autism sufferers, including six hours in the company of Peek and and he assimilated and used many of his mannerisms in the film. Hoffman acknowledged Kim in his Oscar acceptance speech and as a by-product, Kim received a number of requests for appearances, interviews and talks for which they never charged. He was given the Oscar which Morrow had won for best Screen writer and proudly took it on all his tours. He spent many happy years touring with his father, also his carer, and made many friends. Kim and his father helped to increase awareness and acceptance of 'difference' and the disabled. His public exposure also led to pioneering scientific research.

Kim continued to develop throughout his life and his autistic tendencies and difficulties in communication and social skills lessened with age, although he continued to have difficulty with abstractions such as interpreting the meanings of proverbs. Kim was able to use the knowledge he read and was not a mere repository for vast amounts of information. Kim enjoyed learning to play the piano and could skillfully replay music he had heard may years previously.

Five universities studied him in his adult life and noted that he was a genius in at least 15 subjects, including music, geography, history and mathematics. Most savants reach a similar level in just one or two subjects. Even more remarkably, his powers increased as he aged.

Laurence Kim Peek died in December 2009 of a heart attack. He will always be remembered as a phenomenal man. A man with a puzzling mix of disability and genius, a mega-savant but equally importantly a decent human being,fighting for the right of everyone to be different. But let us not forget that he could not have been the high achieving man that he was, without the constant support and companionship of his father.