He has worked on autism as a researcher, clinical psychologist, therapist, and founder of a clinic for the autistic in Paris, France.
He is also a theatrical clown (graduate of Ringling Bros) with the stage name Buffo, who is quite well known in France.
He got his start in acting at a very young age, re-enacting scenes from his favorite stories, along with his childhood friends/neighbors.
Buten's first and best known novel, When I Was Five I Killed Myself, is largely unknown in his home country, but has sold more than a million copies in France.
He was made Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, a prominent literary honor, in 1991.