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

Derived Forms

• auˈtistic, adjectivenoun

Other Word Forms

• au·tist [aw, -tist], noun
• au·tis·tic [aw-, tis, -tik], adjective

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

The two had concocted a nonsense theory, with absolutely no supporting evidence, that autism was caused by mercury in vaccines and precocious puberty.

From Salon

The most common are for autism and ADHD.

From BBC

And Kennedy still won’t let go of this ridiculous notion — debunked again and again — that vaccines are a cause of autism.

From Salon

Bella's recently spoken publicly about being diagnosed with autism while working on the first series of the show.

From BBC

The top US health official is an unlikely figure to spearhead the fight against measles - he has in the past endorsed conspiracy theories about immunizations, including debunked claims about links to autism.

From BBC