Definitions for Autismˈɔ tɪz əm
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
au•tismˈɔ tɪz əm(n.)
a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by impaired communication, extreme self-absorption, and detachment from reality.
Category: Psychiatry
Origin of autism:
1910–15; < Gk aut(ós) self + -ism
au•tis′ti•cal•ly(adv.)
Princeton's WordNet
autism(noun)
(psychiatry) an abnormal absorption with the self; marked by communication disorders and short attention span and inability to treat others as people
Wiktionary
autism(Noun)
Bio-neurological disorder that is observable in early childhood with symptoms of abnormal self-absorption, characterised by lack of response to other humans and by limited ability or disinclination to communicate and socialize.
Origin: Coined in 1912 by Swiss psychiatrist Paul Bleuler (1857-1939) from autismus, from αὐτός.
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