Peter H Brown Clinical Psychologist

The Real “Rain Man”: A Fascinating Look At Kim Peek

Kim Peek 1951-2009 Image via Wikipedia

Kim Peek was the inspiration for the movie Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. Peek, who passed away last year at the age of 58, lived with his father Fran. Peek suffered from a brain development disorder known as agenesis of the corpus collosum. Malformation and absence  of the corpus callosum are rare developmental disorders that result in a wide spectrum of symptoms, ranging from severe cerebral palsy, epilepsy and autism to relatively mild learning problems.

While Kim was able to perform extraordinary mental feats, particularly related to memory of historical facts, he struggled with many of the day to day tasks of life. This is a fascinating short video of Kim’s visit to London and his explanation of his condition. Enjoy!Vodpod videos no longer available.

click image to read reviews

Related articles by Zemanta

• Man Who Inspired ‘Rain Man’ Dies At 58 (npr.org)
• “I have so many things in me that you can’t even guess them all.” – Kim Peek. (althouse.blogspot.com)

April 4, 2010 - Posted by peterhbrown | Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, Books, brain, Cognition, Resources, video | agenesis, asd, Autism, brain, Cerebral palsy, corpus-collosum, DustinHoffman, Health, KimPeek, Rain Man, savant, Tom Cruise