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

Example Sentences

But she still has them, as well as autism and learning difficulties.

From BBC

She’s right that we don't know all of the causes of autism, but countless studies have ruled out vaccines.

From The Wall Street Journal

“They also need to recognize that individuals with autism often confess to crimes that they did not commit or may respond to the last choice in a sequence presented in a question.”

From Los Angeles Times

Gavin Henson has opened up on how realising he is on the autism spectrum helped him understand why he struggled with life as a rugby star.

From BBC

The prior year, while Hemsley was still CEO of UnitedHealth, the company’s insurance unit had extended coverage of autism therapy to almost all its members enrolled in commercial plans.

From The Wall Street Journal