I tell people that my son thinks in pictures/images, while most of us think in words. This makes it difficult to translate all of those "thought photos" and rich imagery into words, thereby making conversation and functional language difficult/delayed. Yet, he has a photographic memory, which is something most of don't have. Every one of them is amazing in their own way.

Treat them like they are from a foreign country with a foreign language and foreign culture that doesn’t understand overall American culture.

I explained to my family members… imagine taking a long road trip and being told you can’t stretch your legs, arms, etc after being stuck in a car for so long. This is what an autistic person feels like if they are told they cannot stim or perform self-regulating behaviors.

Hi!
Fresh water fish in salt water.

If you take river fish into the sea, you think they are fish anyway and they should be able to live in any water, but they have difficulty adapting because it's a hostile media.

I like this analogy because people don't realise at first sight, they're all fish...

Good luck people!

My son is now 22 and over the years I have become a tad cynical. So here is my "analogy". Many times when autism is the topic of discussion people would say stuff like, yeah I watched "the good doctor" so I know all about autism, or "he must be like Sheldon in Big Bang Theory", or "did you see that Ben Affleck movie?"
My response is that anything that you see in the movies or on television is like playing Need for Speed on Playstation - those look like real cars but the game is not realistic at all. Just like those movies and characters that you have built your perception on.