autism

American  

[aw-tiz-uhm] / ˈɔ tɪz əm /

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.

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autism British  

/ ˈɔːtɪzəm /

noun

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

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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

• autist
  noun
• autistic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of autism

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

Explanation

Autism is a neurological condition that's marked by differences in learning styles, passionate interests in specific subjects, repetitive motion, and sometimes difficulty with language and communication. The word autism is taken directly from the Greek root auto, meaning “self.” Because autistic people may display a wide variety of characteristics, autism is defined as a range of conditions, known as the autism spectrum. This spectrum varies from those who have a hard time with social interaction to people who aren't able to speak. In some cases, autism is a diagnosis given by a doctor, while in others it's embraced by a person who self-identifies as autistic. A person who has autism is described as autistic.

Example Sentences

The 36-year-old, who is married with three children, including two 11-year-old twins with autism, has lived in his house for seven years.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

Multiple studies since then have also identified a correlation between a woman’s use of antidepressants during pregnancy and her child’s later diagnosis of autism, and to a lesser extent, ADHD.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

The department said that 18,472 school age children up to the age of 16 had a diagnosis of autism in 2025/26.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

There is no known link between childhood vaccines and autism.

From Salon • May 10, 2026

One of the country’s leading experts on autism is a man named Ami Klin.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell