These issues vary in the degree of severity and may interfere with how an autistic person understands verbal speech or a neurotypical (nonautistic) person's emotional responses to common social situations.
According to the Autism Research Institute, savantism occurs in 10 percent of the autistic population and in less than one percent of the nonautistic population.
When a child is diagnosed with autism, the parents and the nonautistic siblings must change the entire household and daily life activities to accommodate the autistic child's treatment program.
Family therapy can help parents and nonautistic children discuss their family life, hidden anxieties or frustrations, and provide ways to develop healthy techniques for dealing with daily life with autism.
The nonautistic sibling may have to initiate most social interaction, but many siblings develop healthy and loving relationships.