Teen of the Month, Tobin Levy Teen People, August 2002 For the first decade of Jonathan Lerman's life, his parents never knew what he was feeling. Like about two out of every 1,000 kids, the Vestal, N.Y. native, now 14, has autism, a developmental disorder that limits his ability to communicate or to understand emotions. Seemingly for nor reason, Jonathan would laugh, cry or throw tantrums. Then in 1997, a window unexpectedly opened into his world. "His grandfather was sick," recalls his mother, Caren. "I thought Jonathan wasn't paying attention, but a few weeks after he died, Jonathan drew a picture of him incorporating his suffering. That's when we realized what was inside." Since then, Jonathan's materful portraits, which he works on in a studio close to his mom's house, have revealed a well of emotion and have won praise from art-world insiders. "His drawings have the sophistication of an adult's, but it's a kid's vision," says Kerry Schuss, whose K.S. Art gallery represents Jonathan. "They're beautiful."
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