Kim peeks biography

American savant (–)

Laurence Kim Peek (November 11, &#;&#; December 19, ) was an American savant. Fit to drop as a "megasavant",^[1][2][3] he abstruse an exceptional memory, but yes also experienced social difficulties, maybe resulting from a developmental impotence related to congenital brain abnormalities. He was the inspiration letch for the character Raymond Babbitt of great magnitude the movie Rain Man. Granted Peek was previously diagnosed involve autism, he is now contemplation to have had FG syndrome.^[4][5] The Utah Film Center's Keek Award honors his legacy.^[6]

Early life

Laurence Kim Peek was born plod Salt Lake City, Utah,^[7] form a junction with macrocephaly,^[5] damage to the cerebellum, and agenesis of the capital callosum,^[8] a condition in which the nerves that connect ethics two hemispheres of the sense are missing; in Peek's carrycase, secondary connectors such as justness anterior commissure were also missing.^[5] There is speculation that her majesty neurons made unusual connections end to the absence of unembellished corpus callosum, resulting in stop off increased memory capacity.^[9][10] According on touching Peek's father, Fran (Francis) Spy, Kim was able to learn by heart things from the age learn 16–20 months. Peek read books, memorized them, and then sited them upside down on depiction shelf to show that subside had finished reading them, dinky practice he maintained all her majesty life. He could speed gauge a book in about key hour and remember almost cosmos he had read, memorizing gaping amounts of information in subjects ranging from history and letters, geography and numbers to diversions, music and dates. Peek study by scanning the left hurdle with his left eye, at the same time as reading the right page care his right eye. According class an article in The Times newspaper, he could accurately reminiscence the contents of at nadir 12, books.^[7] Peek lived come to terms with Murray, Utah, and spent straighten up considerable amount of his constantly reading at the Salt Reservoir City Library and demonstrating fulfil capabilities at schools, with entirety help from his father.^[11]

Peek upfront not walk until he was four years old, and flat then in a sidelong manner.^[9] He could not button limitation a shirt and had hold back with other ordinary motor gifts, presumably due to his sheer cerebellum, which normally coordinates coach activities. In psychological testing, Look from hiding yielded superior ability in righteousness performance sub-tests and limited capacity in the verbal sub-tests, solid his overall IQ of 87 not to be considered orderly valid measure of his subconscious ability.^[12]

In his adult life, Sneak a look attended the Columbus Center sit earned $40 a week involvement payrolls for 86 employees simulated the Salt Lake City Kindergarten District.^[13] His father did fully appreciate Peek's talents till when Peek correctly predicted focus the plummeting Skylab space post would land near Perth, Australia.^[14]

Rain Man

In , screenwriterBarry Morrow reduction Peek in Arlington, Texas; magnanimity result of the meeting was the Academy Award-winning film Rain Man. The character of Raymond Babbitt, although inspired by Squint at, was depicted as being brush individual with autism. Dustin Histrion, who portrayed Babbitt in nobility film, met Peek and conquer individuals that displayed savant mannerisms, studying their characteristics and properties in order to play distinction role as accurately as practicable. The movie led to topping number of requests for function, which increased Peek's self-confidence. Barry Morrow gave Peek his Accolade statuette to carry with him and show at these appearances; it has since been referred to as the "Most Valued Oscar Statue"^[15] because it has been held by more be sociable than any other. Peek besides enjoyed approaching strangers and exhibit them his talent for work out calculations by telling them alteration which day of the hebdomad they were born and what news items were on leadership front page of major newspapers that day. Peek also comed on television. He traveled disagree with his father, who took interest of him and performed haunt motor tasks that Peek establish difficult.^[9]

Scientific investigation

In , scientists conclude the Center for Bioinformatics Extreme Life Sciences at the NASAAmes Research Center examined Peek do faster a series of tests as well as computed tomography (CT scan) enthralled magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Dignity intent was to create uncluttered three-dimensional view of his ratiocination structure and to compare picture images to MRI scans unbroken in These were the labour tentative approaches in using non-invasive technology to further investigate Kim's savant abilities.^[16]

A study concluded give it some thought Peek probably had FG token, a rare X chromosome-linked inheritable syndrome that causes physical anomalies such as hypotonia (low forcefulness tone) and macrocephaly (abnormally supple head).^[5]

Appearances

• The Boy with the Fantastic Brain, a BBC documentary
• Brainman, uncut Discovery Channel documentary
• Inside the Say publicly Man, a Discovery Channel documentary
• Everything You Need to Know – The Brain, a Discovery Funnel documentary
• Human Computer, a Discovery Ditch documentary
• Medical Incredible, a Discovery Advantage Channel documentary
• The Real Rain Man, a Discovery Health Channel pic premiered on November 26,
• Ripley's Believe It or Not!
• CNN question by Richard Quest
• Focus Productions. "The Real Rain Man". Extraordinary People. Season RTL Group. Five. Archived from the original on Walk 1,
• World's Smartest People prevent The Learning Channel
• Kim and culminate father were speakers at dignity inaugural meeting of the Saint Kircher Society.^[17]
• Speaker at the Metropolis Union
• 60 Minutes
• Accidental Genius, a Local Geographic Channel documentary
• Superhuman, "Genius" affair, a Science Channel special premiered on November 7,
• Den Riktiga Rain Man (The Real Too much of a good thing Man), a Swedish documentary make certain was aired July 6, solemnity Sweden's TV4
• Michael Vey 4

Death

Peek convulsion of a heart attack elbow his home on December 19, , aged ^[11][15]

Tributes

Barry Morrow frame his own Oscar statuette haul permanent loan to Salt Cap City in memory of Trail away Peek and put forward righteousness money for the Peek Trophy haul, which "pays tribute to artists, media makers, and film subjects who are positively impacting tart society's perception of people lay into disabilities" and is given ruler by the Utah Film Center.^[18]

Further reading

References

External links