Autistic characters in films

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We all know Rainman and how Hoffman's character was considered a very truthful portrayal (I personally lost a little faith in him in the head touching scene toward the end), but I was wondering how people regarded other autistic characters in movies.

One who immediately comes to mind is Miko Hughes. He played young Simon in Mercury Rising. I thought his portrayal was interesting, but would he be considered high functioning (able to communicate, although very limited), or would he be low functioning because the communication that he is capable of is simply too limited? I am aware that they consciously made Simon to not suffer from mental retardation. That would lead me to believe he is high, but I don't know.

Another one I really like is Sean Penn in I am Sam. I actually liked him better than Hoffman's Rainman, because I was able to feel his inability to express himself, whereas I was just watching Hoffman.

Any comments on these, or other movies featuring people with autism?

please don't mention Miko Hughes...I still haven't recovered from seeing his terrifying 2-year old killer in "Pet Sametary" last week!

I think there is already a thread about this if you scroll down or perhaps check out another page.