autism
1 synonym for autism, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A condition where a person finds social communication difficult, sticks strongly to routine and predictability, processes sensory input differently, and may have intense interests or repeat certain behaviours; it covers what used to be seen as separate conditions, such as Asperger's syndrome.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Etymology
Borrowed from German Autismus, coined by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler, first usage dated to 1907 attributed by Carl Jung as an alternative of his for "auto-erotism", although Bleuler himself differentiates the terms in his book Dementia Praecox, first published 1911. From Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”) + -ισμό...
Full origin of autism →