People react differently to people with mental and physical disorders. Autism is not excluded.
People do stereotype. Because not all people are educated about the disorder. this lack of knowledge more often than not results to hatred, disgust, embarrassment and other unhappy situations. by being knowlegeable on the subject, you can educate the people in your area to better understand the disorder.
Not all autistic people are the same. Autism is a very complex disorder taht everyone reacts in their own way. People who have this are judged according to how functional they can be and how their symptoms affect and how they are able to control it.
Most autistic persons have trouble communicating their feelings. This fact makes the people think that autistic people can not feel or incapable of forming straong relationship bonds such as love and marriage.
What people see in the movies and television also play a part in the way they see an autistic person. they have this idea that if you are an autistic then you are a genius. Although true to some autistic people, some jsut function outside the normal range of any skill.
Many people also think that autism is a form of mental retardation. Maybe true to others but most are not mentally retarded.
Patience and understanding are very important in dealing with autistic people. Learn about the disorder and educate others to help create a more peaceful and stereotyped environment for the autistic people.