One disorder that seems to be more and more common is autism. There is some speculation about why more are diagnosed with autism now than 30 years ago. One reason for the increase seems to be an increased awareness for the disorder. It used to be that only those with pronounced autism — such as being non-verbal, rocking back and forth, or making strange noises when touched — were recognized as having autism. Now researchers and doctors understand that autism is on a spectrum and there are many who fall within this spectrum. Some have very few symptoms and are considered “high functioning” while others become so violent and strong as they get older that they end up being institutionalized because their care givers (typically parents) are no longer able to handle their violent outbursts.

So what’s it like to deal with autism? One way to describe it is that those with autism have senses that are not working as they should. Some senses are too sensitive; sometimes they’re not sensitive enough. For those who react strongly to being touched, for example, the sense of touch is overly sensitive. Those who do not have autism are able to filter out things that are unimportant and their senses work together to focus on that which is important.

Those with autism are not able to filter things out and know what should be focused on. They often notice too much and this can make things difficult and confusing for them. One sense that is often heightened in those with autism is sound. Loud noises can feel painful and cause them to feel overwhelmed. Touch, as mentioned, is another. In fact, one young boy with autism described the touch of individual hairs to skin as feeling like needles. It’s also hard for them to communicate because even when they learn language, often they still lack the ability to understand.

When it comes to dealing with someone who has autism, the key is to try and understand what the world is like for him or her, which will help you know how to best help.