Understanding autism

There is no uniform answer. Surveys in Great Britain and the USA found that people on the autism spectrum, parents and professionals prefer different terms; "autism" itself was widely accepted. In its own German texts, Autismus Wissen writes "Menschen mit Autismus" and "Menschen im Autismus-Spektrum". This is an editorial house decision, not an objectively right form; in English texts both forms may appear. In personal contact, it is best to ask for the preferred term.

In detail: Language and terms: autistic, autism spectrum disorder, neurodivergence

Neurodiversity describes the natural diversity of human neurological development. As a paradigm, it does not understand deviations from the norm as faults that must be corrected; it is closely linked to the social model of disability. The word was coined in 1998 by Judy Singer and Harvey Blume. The concept does not replace assessment and does not say that nobody needs support.

In detail: Neurodiversity: what is behind the concept

That is not true in such general terms. A meta-analysis of 51 studies found differences only in some areas of empathy, not in others, with strong variation between studies. Misunderstandings between people with and without autism also run in both directions ("double empathy"). Research on this is not complete.

In detail: Empathy and autism: a widespread misunderstanding

Autism is a variation in development which, according to an expert overview, lasts a lifetime. It shows mainly in social communication and interaction and in recurring, not very flexible behaviours, interests or activities. How autism shows differs greatly from person to person. In medical classifications the diagnosis is called "autism spectrum disorder".

In detail: What is autism?

In medical classifications, autism is listed as "autism spectrum disorder" among the disorders of neural and mental development. The concept of neurodiversity, by contrast, understands autism as a form of natural diversity of development and rejects seeing deviations from the norm as faults that must be corrected. Both views exist side by side; they do not rule out that people on the autism spectrum need support.

In detail: Neurodiversity: what is behind the concept

No: large studies find no link between vaccines and autism. A 2014 meta-analysis evaluated five cohort studies with a total of 1,256,407 children and five case-control studies with 9,920 children and found no link, including for the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine or for thiomersal. A Danish cohort study of 657,461 children found no increased autism risk for children vaccinated with MMR. A paper published in The Lancet in 1998, often cited, was retracted by the journal in 2010.

In detail: Do vaccinations cause autism? What the studies show