autism

[aw-tiz-uhm]

noun

Psychiatry.

1. a developmental disability of highly variable presentation, commonly characterized by social and communication differences, repetitive behaviors, intense specialized interests, and differences in sensory processing; autism spectrum disorder.

2. Sometimes classic autism (no longer in clinical use) a developmental disability that commonly manifests in early childhood, characterized by repetitive or restricted behaviors, differences in understanding social interactions, and delayed development of linguistic and cognitive abilities: formerly contrasted with Asperger syndrome.

autism

/ ˈɔːtɪzəm /

noun

1. psychiatry a developmental disorder whose symptoms include difficulty in responding conventionally to people and actions and limited use of communication

Usage

Rather than talking about an autistic or autistics , it is better to use phrases such as a person with autism and people with autism

Other Word Forms

• autistic adjective
• autist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of autism¹

First recorded in 1910–15, for an earlier sense; coined in 1944 by Austrian-American psychiatrist Leo Kanner (1894–1981), for the current sense (in the phrase infantile autism ); from German Autismus (in the earlier sense), from New Latin; aut- + -ism

Word History and Origins

Origin of autism¹

C20: from Greek autos self + _-ism

Example Sentences

KS: You spoke so openly about your autism diagnosis and the response was incredible.

From BBC

She said schools could find it difficult to support children as the number of diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and other conditions had increased.

From BBC

People with learning disabilities and autism in England are dying almost 20 years younger than the rest of the population, a long-awaited report has said.

From BBC

Kennedy has also promised to provide the results of a new study, apparently thrown together in the last couple of months, that will reveal the cause of autism.

From Salon

After the MMR was introduced, concerns were raised that it was linked to autism.

From BBC