autism (thing)

A neurological disorder marked by impairment in each of three critical behavior areas:

• Social interaction:
  ignores, misinterprets and/or or misuses non-verbal cues such as facial expression, gesture, or eye contact.
  Develops no peer relationships
  
  
• Verbal Communication:
  Impaired or absent spoken language skills
  Unable to initiate or sustain conversation
  Abnormal response to conversation cues, e.g. ignores or repeats questions instead of replying
  
  
• Interests and self-expression:
  Repetitive and/or ritualized behaviors, often purposeless
  Distressed by change
  Preoccupation with one behavior or subject

The patient must display abnormal developmental disorder in all three areas to warrant a diagnosis of autism. The disorder seems to be affected by both genetic and developmental factors. Thalidomide exposure between 20 and 24 days after conception seems to increase the likelihood of autism by about 30 times.