From Deseret News archives:
Savant Peek at the U. today
Peek, now 52, made a visit Friday afternoon to the Utah Museum of Natural History at the University of Utah. He'll be there again today at 1 p.m. to talk to the public and answer questions.
He was part of the inspiration for Barry Morrow's Academy Award-winning 1988 movie, "Rain Man," starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise.
Unlike the character portrayed by Hoffman, Peek is not autistic. He has the spontaneity of a 5-year-old coupled with the raw knowledge of an Einstein. He's entertaining, because he can get off-track or unexpectedly address off-beat subjects.
His father, Fran Peek, said fetal brain damage has meant his son has no right and left hemispheres or filtering system in his brain, as normal people do. While this has led to his tremendous recall ability, it also means he can't reason. Some of his motor skills are affected. He also remains socially underdeveloped.
While autistic savants usually can excel in only four subjects at the most, Peek has 15 areas of expertise.
Peek's nickname at UCLA, where some tests were conducted on him, was "Computer." Indeed, he is like an Internet search engine with only two to three seconds of lag time.
His father said computers that verify his answers at some events may take 20 seconds to do so, far more time than it took his son to find the answer.
"Whatever goes up there (to his brain), stays there," his father said. "He has no social skills. . . . he's totally honest and not judgmental. . . He can't have a relationship with a woman."
Some tests concluded that Kim Peek can read two pages of material simultaneously, one page per eye at the same time. He can also read the page of a book in almost any position, including backwards or upside down. He reads through an entire Time Magazine in 20 minutes.
Peek got a high school diploma at age 14 and has since gained some honorary college degrees. His I.Q was tested to be just 72, but his "K.Q" — knowledge only — equivalent is 184. (Einstein was 149.) "An idiot savant," is how his father describes it, echoing the term that was given the peculiarity earlier.
Peek spends much of an average day reading, he watches some television and goes to the library regularly. He and his father don't approve of card tricks and have turned down many a TV talk show that wanted the "Rain Man" movie's card and gambling stunts duplicated.
"Most TV shows are too trashy," his father said.
