What does "autistic" mean?

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Personally I refuse to use a label that somebody gave me. My point is that we didn't call ourselves autistic, somebody else labelled us that. I see everyone seems to be OK with that given title and they have assumed it when describing themselves. Which is fine with me, I am not criticizing that, but I tried finding out the reason why the term was chosen and I couldn't. Yes, it comes from the Greek word for self, but why was this word chosen to describe us? What about the self? Why are we called basically Selfistic? Are we supposed to be selfish? Are we selling sea shells by the sea shore?

So then what would you say if you were diagnosed with a headache?
There's no other word to describe it, except the diagnosed name.

When people say they have a headache, they know what the problem is and how to help them out.

I would rather have a label that sums everything up, than to tell a friend or partner "I lack empathy, I blurt things out, I don't like certain food, I don't like some textures, I hate going outside when I don't need to, I don't like people, I don't like noise, I don't know how to make friends, I can't have silence..." you get the idea.

Labels are not a bad thing.

It means that we tend to remain closed off from interpersonal socialization, because we are essentially "trapped inside our own heads," because we lack the capacity to pick up on the nonverbal cues that would allow us access to the thoughts and feelings of those around us.

While normal people are all interconnected in a web of social signals and messages, we stand apart, alone and unable to participate in that web of constant informational exchange.

So, actually, "Selfism" is perfectly appropriate. It's nothing like "selfishness." Besides, it's just a word. When you identify a specific set of recurring details that form a clear pattern, you have to call it something in order to communicate your discovery to other people, so that they can identify it when they see it, too.

I spent most of my life without a name for my differences and believe me, the rest of the human world was more than happy to give it all sorts of names of their own: stubborn, uncooperative, weird, dumb@ss, idjit, standoffish, odd, creepy, aloof, freakazoid, @$$h0le - one of my personal favorites was "emotionally ret*d."

I'll take "Autistic" over any of those.

Aspie is OK, or Asperger.
I understand autism to be a severe form of encapsulation, often accompanied by several physical handicaps.

My psych claims, that aspergers isn´t autism. There seems to be many opinions about that. Well, It´s on the spectrum anyway.

As I don´t see myself as autistic, but only "socially challenged", somewhat easy to confuse and a bit quirky, I´m allright with
Asperger/aspie (In DK we have no "Ass-burgers").
I think, I´d feel like a dramaqueen, if I called myself autistic.

The meaning of the word 'autistic' may have unsuitable qualities in it because I don't think all autistic people are selfish or lacking empathy, but it is the main term we have so far. Maybe someday there will be a better term created.

I was wary about the 'of the self'/'selfism' thing, because of possible connotations, but otherwise I wouldn't say I disagree with the term because I didn't personally coin it. I call a chair a chair, because it's the generally accepted word (in English). Think words and terms are just sounds people use to communicate, in order to ensure that, most of the time, people are all referring to the same thing.

Early in the discovery of autism the patients were seen to be withdrawn into the self.

When people think of selfish they think people are that way because of choice, but with autism it's just the way we are programmed. I try my best to be more empathetic, but I always seem to slip up and act selfish towards people.

I agree with Wind. It's just a diagnostic label to explain to us our symptoms and can open up services to us if we need them.

I hate saying I have a mood disorder related to my menstrual cycle and I want them to rename ADHD because of all the stigma associated with it. Autism I am fine with.

I rather like the term 'Spectrum,' as in the sentence, 'I am Spectrum.'