autism

1. (clinical psychology) A pervasive neurological condition that is observable in early childhood and persists throughout the lifespan, characterised by atypical communication patterns (e.g., differences in body language or eye contact), delayed language development, and sensory processing sensitivities.Examples: "Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism."uncountableusually

2. (clinical psychology) A pervasive neurological condition that is observable in early childhood and persists throughout the lifespan, characterised by atypical communication patterns (e.g., differences in body language or eye contact), delayed language development, and sensory processing sensitivities.Synonyms: autism spectrum, autistic spectrumbroadlyuncountableusually

3. (clinical psychology, obsolete) A diagnosis involving a pathological tendency to engage in self-centered fantasy thinking, historically considered a symptom of insanity or schizophrenia.obsoleteuncountableusually

4. (Internet slang, offensive, derogatory or self-deprecatory) Abnormal and unhealthy focus or persistence, stereotypically coupled with low self-awareness and unhealthy hatred of opposition or criticism.Examples: "weaponized autism"Internetoffensiveuncountableusually