When I signed up for a three-week long film program, I did not expect to learn anything more than the fundamentals of making movies. The whole purpose of the class was to write, shoot and edit a short film with industry professionals who offered guidance.

While I picked up lots of great tips and tricks, I also had the privilege of meeting a unique person. For the sake of privacy, we shall call him Alex.

Alex was a 15-year-old boy who is on the Autism Spectrum. For those who are not as familiar with the condition, Autism is a developmental disorder that causes difficulty with social interactions, communication skills, and repetitive behavior. Another part of this disorder is it presents differently person to person, which is why it is called a spectrum. Some may be highly functional where you might not even know they have Autism and some can be severely affected where they are non-verbal.

In Alex's case, he falls on the more higher functional side of the spectrum. He could go on and on about technology and comic books with the information of an expert, but he would not make eye contact during conversations.

To those who did not know better, they would assume Alex was very mean, however. Unfortunately another part of Autism is it is extremely difficult for them to know what is not appropriate to say.

So when Alex would point out you did something wrong or if it smelled like you hadn't brushed your teeth, other would find it rude of very offensive.

After getting to know Alex personally, he is not a mean person trying to make others upset. Instead, due to the life he was dealt, he couldn't help saying thoughts others usually keep to themselves.

I found Alex to be a very sweet person. He would give wonderful comments you couldn't help but smile at. He even shared his snack with me and other classmates almost everyday. As someone who isn't on the spectrum, I don't even share my own food (ahem Joey from "Friends").

His wonderfully dark, deadpan sense of humor never failed to make my belly ache from laughter and it filled me with excitement every time he pulled out his phone to show me a meme he found on Reddit.com.

In these three weeks of film class I got to make a short film and a new friend I wouldn't have been able to get to know in another circumstance.

It saddens me to see 'normal' people dismiss people with Autism as just 'Autistic' or 'Special' or 'Handicapped'.

They are none of these titles. Autism is just one part of a person. Yes, it may be more obvious, but it does not define someone for who they are. Alex may have Autism, but he is funny and smart and talented.

We live in a world where we are quick to label and write-off people for one piece of their life. While there may not be a cure for Autism, there is a cure for ignorance and intolerance.

Educate yourself on people that are not like you. The more we learn about what makes us different, the more we learn how similar we are to one another.

Please visit great organizations like Autism Speaks to learn about your potential friends, neighbors, co-workers and even family.