• Home
  • About
  • Articles
  • Contact Us
Prev
True Autism 0
“Autism Saved My Life”
28 August 2019
Next
0
The Real “Sherlock Holmes” was Autistic
31 August 2019
Trueautism
The Real “Rain Man” was Not Autistic
August 28, 2019 by editor in Trueautism

by David Rowland, Autism Expert

The 1988 movie, Rain Man, may have done a major disservice to the autism community.  The real person on whom Dustin Hoffman based his Raymond Babbage character was Kim Peek (1951-2009).  Kim Peek was NOT autistic.

Kim Peek was born with several brain abnormalities, including agenesis of the corpus callosum, a condition in which the bundle of nerves that connects the two hemispheres of the brain is missing.  Secondary connectors, such as the anterior commissure, were also missing.  Peek also had facial features characteristic of fetal growth (FG) syndrome – e.g. large head, tall prominent forehead, widely set eyes, corners of eyes point downward.

Peek had total recall of every detail to which he had ever been exposed.  At age 33 he was able to reel off every address in the 50 States of America, complete with zip codes.  If you gave him your date of birth, he could tell you what day of the week it was and what news items were on the front page of newspapers that day.

Kim Peek may have been a savant, but he wasn’t autistic.  Unfortunately, Dustin Hoffman’s portrayal of “Rain Man” as being autistic has created a false stereotype that has persisted for over 30 years.  The iconic “autistic savant” is a fictitious character.

Savant syndrome and autism are independent variables (i.e., are not directly related to each other).  Wikipedia suggests that savant syndrome affects one person in a million.  The Autism Society suggests that autism affects one person in a hundred.  Crunching these two numbers suggests that your chances of encountering someone who is both autistic and a savant is one in 100 million.

0 Comments
  • autism
  • david rowland.
  • rain man
  • savant
0 Like!
Share
editor

Related posts
Music and Autism
0
0 Like!
Music and Autism
January 16, 2021 by editor in Trueautism
How the Autistic Mind Functions – an Insider’s Report
0
0 Like!
How the Autistic Mind Functions – an Insider’s Report
January 4, 2021 by editor in Trueautism
Best Preschool Apps for Autistic Children
0
0 Like!
Best Preschool Apps for Autistic Children
January 1, 2021 by editor in Trueautism
Autism as an Intellectual Lens
0
0 Like!
Autism as an Intellectual Lens
December 1, 2020 by editor in Trueautism
Leave a reply

Click here to cancel reply.

Recent comments

  • The giveaway in this quote is, "Maybe it hurts so much that I don't even know I'm hurt." Autisti...

    editor on Ayn Rand was Probably Autistic

    August 24, 2020

  • "“I don't believe it matters to me- that they're going to destroy it. Maybe it hurts so much that...

    Max on Ayn Rand was Probably Autistic

    August 24, 2020

  • Ayn Rand may not have been in as much pain as you think. Do you remember when Roark's nemesis as...

    editor on Ayn Rand was Probably Autistic

    July 29, 2020

Tags

#debilism asperger aspergers autism david rowland. food mac man many Model model of man music People reportage sherlock

TRUEAUTISM

address:

P.O. Box 30015, Prospect Plaza, Fredericton, NB E3B 0H8 Canada

Recent news

Music and Autism
0
0 Like!
Trueautism
Music and Autism
January 16, 2021 by editor in Trueautism
How the Autistic Mind Functions – an Insider’s Report
How the Autistic Mind Functions – an Insider’s Report
January 4, 2021 by editor in Trueautism
Best Preschool Apps for Autistic Children
Best Preschool Apps for Autistic Children
January 1, 2021 by editor in Trueautism
Autism as an Intellectual Lens
Autism as an Intellectual Lens
December 1, 2020 by editor in Trueautism
© TRUEAUTISM.INFO 2019 All rights Reserved | Powered by Alexander Serafim Gunn