autism

[ aw-tiz-uhm ]

/ ˈɔ tɪz əm /

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See synonyms for: autist on Thesaurus.com

noun Psychiatry.

(no longer in clinical use) a pervasive developmental disorder that commonly manifests in early childhood, characterized by impaired communication, excessive rigidity, and emotional detachment: now considered one of the autism spectrum disorders.

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Origin of autism

First recorded in 1910–15, for an earlier sense, and in 1940–45 for the current sense (in the phrase infantile autism); from German Autismus (in the earlier sense), from New Latin; aut- + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM autism

au·tist, nounau·tis·tic

[aw-tis-tik], /ɔˈtɪs tɪk/, adjectiveau·tis·ti·cal·ly, adverbun·au·tis·tic, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH autism

artistic, autistic

Words nearby autism

Authorized Version, authors, author's alteration, authorship, Auth. Ver., autism, autism spectrum disorder, autistic-spectrum disorder, auto, autoallogamy, autoanalysis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use autism in a sentence

Although weighted blankets are still relatively new to consumers, they have been used for years by occupational therapists to treat sensory issues in people with autism, ADHD, and generalized anxiety disorders.
Best weighted blanket: Sleep like a baby with our comfy bedding picks|PopSci Commerce Team|February 12, 2021|Popular-Science
His writing is also often informed by his personal experiences, be it through his daughter, whose diagnosis of autism inspired his previous book on the subject, or his upbringing in a family of neurologists and psychiatrists.
How colonialism and capitalism helped place a stigma on mental illness|Balaji Ravichandran|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
Other published studies that used Voytek’s code included investigations of ADHD medication efficacy and studies of sex-based differences in brain activity in people with autism.
Brain’s ‘Background Noise’ May Hold Clues to Persistent Mysteries|Elizabeth Landau|February 8, 2021|Quanta Magazine
Yet as more sophisticated tools and techniques grew in social neuroscience, people soon realized that mirror neurons weren’t the end-all of empathy, language, or autism.
This Is Where Empathy Lives in the Brain, and How It Works|Shelly Fan|February 2, 2021|Singularity Hub

The main reason I spent so many years figuring out how to hide my autism was so I could have relationships with friends, co-workers and lovers.
I’m autistic. I’m hoping I can wear a mask for the rest of my life.|Christine M. Condo|February 2, 2021|Washington Post
Today, Sunday, the cast will perform a softened, “autism-friendly” version of the production for those on the spectrum.
The Brit Who Stormed Broadway|Tim Teeman|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Claiming to be useful against Ebola, autism, and cancer, Young Living Essential Oils came under fire from the FDA.
Honey Boo Boo, Snake Oil, and Ebola: The Weird World of Young Living Essential Oils|Kent Sepkowitz|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They apparently took that as a sign of suspicious activity, even though that can be a hallmark of people on the autism spectrum.
Worse Than Eric Garner: Cops Who Got Away With Killing Autistic Men and Little Girls|Emily Shire|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jolly somehow finds the time to also manage a restaurant and help kids who have Autism and Down syndrome ride horses.
The Moms of Monster Jam Drive Trucks, Buck Macho Culture|Eliza Krigman|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Renowned livestock specialist and autism advocate Temple Grandin brought her unique intellect and wit to Reddit.
The Most Inspiring Bits of Temple Grandin’s Reddit AMA|Emily Shire|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Psychedelics have also sometimes been used for the terminally ill and in certain cases of autism.
When You Don't Know Where to Turn|Steven J. Bartlett
I do not wish to go further than this into the abnormal and extreme types of religious autism; trance, ecstasy and so forth.
The Life of the Spirit and the Life of To-day|Evelyn Underhill

British Dictionary definitions for autism

autism

/ (ˈɔːtɪzəm) /

noun

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

Derived forms of autism

autistic, adjective, noun

Word Origin for autism

C20: from Greek autos self + -ism

usage for autism

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for autism

autism

[ ô′tĭz′əm ]

A developmental disorder characterized by severe deficits in social interaction and communication and by abnormal behavior patterns, such as the repetition of specific movements or a tendency to focus on certain objects. Autism is evident in the first years of life. Its cause is unknown.

Other words from autism

autistic adjective

Cultural definitions for autism (1 of 2)

autism

[ (aw-tiz-uhm) ]

A serious disorder appearing in childhood and characterized by the child's refusal to relate to other people and severely limited use of language. The cause of autism in children is unknown, but researchers generally feel that it lies in a malfunction of the central nervous system, not in the way parents have treated them or in other aspects of their environment. The term is sometimes applied, more loosely, to adults who are extremely self-absorbed and who see things in terms of their hopes and fantasies rather than realistically.

Cultural definitions for autism (2 of 2)

autism

A psychiatric disorder marked by deficits in communication and social interaction.