Wild Things: YA Grown-Up discussion

My brother-in-law works in the special needs department at the middle school in the town we live in. The main boy that he works with has pretty severe autism, as well as some other problems that give him very limited abilities. His mother really struggles sometimes, and doesn't really know what to do. (My BiL taught this boy, who is 12 or 13 to tell his mom I love you, and she cried.)

Anyway, my BiL is looking for books to recommend to this boy's mother to help her understand his situation better, and feel a little less alone. She often feels like no one understands what she goes through and that she is kind of the only one facing this. He's looking for books (preferably fiction or memoir type, he has enough of the scientific non-fiction already) that include a predominant autistic character.

He's already recommended and/or aware of Running with Scissors, Rules by Cynthia Lord and Awakening Ashley: Mozart Knocks Autism On Its Ear.

If anyone has any recommendations similar to these, they would be greatly appreciated!!

I'm not an expert, so I'm not sure how well these fit, but these are some books I've loved:

Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Marcelo In The Real World

A Mango-Shaped Space (not autism, but a similarly 'weird' condition in a fiction story for children)

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's

and anything by Temple Grandin.

(Running with Scissors, I've heard, is brutal - I won't read it and don't recommend it for the situation/ reader you describe.)

I've just learned that simply typing "autism" in the "find books..." search box gets lots of interesting stuff. I've now got a lot more books to add to my "to-read" shelf!

Of course, many of these are by and about people who have more mild challenges & are high-functioning. I really feel for parents like the one you're trying to help. It's gotta be so hard.

I love Rules by Cynthia Lord and use it in my classroom because I really think it helps people living with autism or living with someone with autism to not feel alone. It is a fun, easy read, but teaches quite a lesson.

In addition to some mentioned, I recommend: Send in the Idiots: Stories from the Other Side of Autism, Great Abnormals: Historic Cases of Insanity, and Inspired Amateurs. First one is great and last two are dry, but referenced by Temple Grandin as containing ideas that broadened her scope. I second the plea to ignore Running with Scissors for the purpose. It may be factual, but it's brutal.