autistic

[aw-tis-tik]

adjective

1. relating to or having autism spectrum disorder.

   The researchers are compiling advice on supporting wellness in autistic adults.

   She and her son are both autistic.

   We are a national grassroots disability rights organization for the autistic community.

noun

1. Also autist a person with autism spectrum disorder.

   It's just an opinion, but it's based on my own experience and conversations with fellow autistics.

Other Word Forms

• autistically adverb
• unautistic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of autistic¹

First recorded in 1942; aut(ism) ( def. ) + -istic ( def. )

Example Sentences

With “facilitated communication,” parents were convinced they were liberating the trapped thoughts of their autistic children through a keyboard, unaware they were manipulating their children’s hands.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and American Academy of Pediatrics have affirmed there is no significant link between using this common painkiller during pregnancy and having an autistic child.

Read more on Salon

A three-week inquest found Ms Smith, from Braintree, was not kept safe and staff failures to recognise that she was autistic had a "profound impact" on her care.

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Waitrose has reversed its decision not to offer paid work to an autistic man after initially saying he had to stop stacking shelves at the store where he had volunteered for four years.

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A mum from the south of England, who wants to remain anonymous, told us her autistic daughter first showed signs of OCD when she was 10 years old.

Read more on BBC