The "Rain Man" Comparison

So, every single mom with a child who is Autistic gets this.

"Like Rain Man, right? So what's his rain man ability?"

...thanks Hollywood.

Now, seriously, the first thing I want to say is Raymond Babbitt was not just Autistic. "Raymond's early life was tough as he was wrongly diagnosed with autism since the doctor was late for a golf game and hurried the diagnosis" (Source: IMDB). Yes, while IMDB isn't the best source, the statement is accurate. I have to wonder, how many people who make this comparison have even watched Rain Man? I feel the answer would be a dismal few. The character, more importantly, had a condition called Savant Syndrome. Savant Syndrome is not exclusive to individuals with Autism, nor is it present in many with autism. Savant Syndrome can also occur post brain injury or with mental retardation. The portrayle in the movie is that of a person with Savant Syndrome AND Autism. The sad thing is, when people use this comparison, they are talking abut Savant Syndrome, not autism.

Now, this is from the information on the movie. Most sources agree with this, however the truth is that the character that Rain Man is based on didn't suffer from Autism at all, rather probably had something called FG Syndrome. "A 2008 study concluded that Kim Peek, who was the basis for the Dustin Hoffman character in the movie Rain Man, probably had FG syndrome" (Source). Again, yes I'm referencing a Wiki, but if you look at the reference for this below, it is from a peer reviewed source. Kim Peek was indeed a savant, however was born with several brain abnormalities. From what we know, he most likely had "macrocephaly, damage to the cerebellum, and agenesis of the corpus callosum, a condition in which the bundle of nerves that connects the two hemispheres of the brain is missing; in Peek's case, secondary connectors such as the anterior commissure were also missing. There is speculation that his neurons made unusual connections due to the absence of a corpus callosum, which resulted in an increased memory capacity." (Source).

Kim Peek was an inspiration for the story, but Raymond Babbitt was a composite savant with abilities taken from several real life savants. He was then modified to be an Autistic Savant (Source). Now, the fact of the matter is, the incidence of Savant Syndrome very low. About half of people with Savant Syndrome are autistic, the other half have other developmental disabilities or Central Nervous System injuries. And how many Autistic people have Savant Syndrome? About 10%. It occurs in the rest of the learning disabled population at an incidence of 1%, so it seems it is more likely in Autistic individuals, however, the other half of the population in affects is much larger (Source).

So what is my point? Not every Autistic kid is Rain Man, in fact the real Rain Man wasn't even autistic. There are many, many other excellent movies that can teach you a bit about Autism, and this list is perhaps one of the best I have at hand. It includes such movies as Mercury Rising, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, Adam, and Mozart and the Whale. However, it does not include what is perhaps my favorite, which is Temple Grandin the HBO movie.