Main video header credit: Mathieu Roth

I am what you would call, a neurotypical person. Walking down a bustling high street or grabbing a drink with friends are activities that blend into my day without a second thought. But for someone with autism, the world can be a scary place, and the things I take for granted can make or break someone else’s world.

Prior to writing this article, I watched a number of videos designed to give neurotypical people – namely, those not affected with a developmental disorder like autism – a sense of what it’s like to be on the autism spectrum.

Overly bright lights, sudden, loud disorientating noises, distractions, anxiety from straying away from an established routine and more, are just some of the ways that people with autism experience the world.

While watching videos and reading articles have helped me learn more about autism, its nature as a spectrum disorder means that its manifestations, symptoms and traits vary massively from individual to individual. In the words of Dr. Stephen Shore, “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.”

Keith Stuart, games editor at the Guardian, is familiar with the challenges of having a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). His son, Zac, was diagnosed at the age of six, and the years before and after the diagnosis have provided both Keith and his wife with numerous challenges – challenges which affect millions of families across the world on a daily basis.

For people like myself who don’t have to deal with these challenges, these struggles can be hard to understand – and that’s where Keith’s book comes in.