autism

IPA/ˈɔːtɪzəm/
KK[ˈɔtˌɪzəm]IPA/ˈɔːtɪzəm/

autism — noun

1. a lifelong condition in how the brain develops, which often makes it harder for

1.nounB2
Definition

a lifelong condition in how the brain develops, which often makes it harder for a person to talk with others, read social signals, or change their daily routines, and may cause them to focus deeply on a small number of interests.

Example

Liam was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old.

passive: be diagnosed with autism

Children with autism may need extra time to make friends at school.

collocation: children/people with autism

Common collocations
  • diagnosed with autism
  • children with autism
  • adults with autism
  • living with autism
  • signs of autism
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • neurotypical

    describes a person whose brain develops in the way considered most common; used as a contrast, not a true opposite

Grammar Patterns

have/be diagnosed with autism

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable: 'children with autism', not 'an autism'. The phrase 'on the autism spectrum' or 'autism spectrum disorder (ASD)' is preferred in clinical writing because the condition shows in many different ways and degrees.

Common Mistakes

He has an autism.
He has autism.
autism is uncountable, so no 'a/an'.
She is autism.
She has autism.' or 'She is autistic.
use the verb 'have' for the condition, or the adjective 'autistic' for the person.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms point to differences in how the brain handles social interaction, communication, and routine, but they sit at different levels of formality and scope. 'Autism' is the everyday word used by families, teachers, and the news. 'Autism spectrum disorder' (ASD) is the formal medical label, preferred in clinical reports because it stresses that signs vary widely from one person to another. 'Asperger's syndrome' was once used for people on the spectrum without language delay, but most countries have folded it into ASD since 2013. 'Neurodivergence' is the broadest term: it covers autism plus ADHD, dyslexia, and other ways a brain can differ. So a doctor's letter might say 'autism spectrum disorder', a parent might say 'my son has autism', and an advocacy group might call the same person 'neurodivergent'.

autism ↗autism spectrum disorderAsperger's syndromeneurodivergence

Common collocations

Nouns

  • autism diagnosis
  • autism research
  • autism awareness
  • autism spectrum

Phrases

  • diagnosed with autism
  • living with autism
  • signs of autism
  • children with autism

Prepositions

  • with autism
  • on the autism spectrum

Etymology

GreekGermanEnglish

Coined in 1912 by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler from the Greek word 'autos', meaning 'self', plus the medical ending '-ism'. Bleuler used it to describe patients who seemed cut off from the world around them, as if turned inward toward the self. Austrian doctors Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger later used the term in the 1940s for the developmental condition we mean today.