Little Rainman by Simmons, Karen

This wonderfully illustrated book is written by a mother as if the child with autism is speaking. Many teachers and parents use the book to educate peers and siblings as Jonathan "describes" his challenges and feelings.

Here is an example: "My name is Jonathan. I have autism (aw-tis-um). My nose looks the same as other people's and my ears and eyes do too. Except that I can see and hear a lot better than most people. My brain thinks different. Some things I do better, like reading and copying; other things I do worse, like making friends. I need help with learning to do some things. There aren't many people like me, maybe 15 in 10,000, so I am very unique. I will always need to learn how to cope in this world, which comes naturally to most other people." Also available in Spanish Translation.