Little Rainman

Book excerpt: Jonathan and his mother describe his autistic world. Little Rainman is written from the perspective of Jonathan, a child diagnosed with autism. The script is written in a child's print and, according to Temple Grandin, the drawings which illustrate the story capture "how a child with autism (really) thinks." Jonathan talks about how he felt as a baby ("I did not like to be touched or held, even by my parents"), how he loved to play "circles in the air" (a game where he would extend one leg in the air and create circles), and his view of colors, wallpaper, people's facial expressions, friendships and other important things. Simply told, Little Rainman tells the reader what it's like to be autistic.