An Autism Dictionary for everyone.
A quick word on language, please do not refer to autistic people as “having autism” like it’s disease. Please refer to people on the spectrum as being autistic.
I am autistic, and not I have Autism. “My son is autistic”, not “my son has autism.” Don’t judge us for being autistic or on the spectrum, judge us on who we are and how we work. You’ll probably be impressed with us.
If I’d had a list like this before my assessment, then I would have better understood myself and been more at ease after receiving the phone call and subsequent letter. That is my aim, to make self-diagnosis and the pre-and-post assessment process of learning who you are as easy and informative as possible.
It was cathartic creating this, I hope it helps you understand yourself or the autistic person in your life.
A word of warning on this site, this is not a site on par with The Oxford English Dictionary. I am not trying to be as detailed as they are, I won’t tell you how to pronounce words or their etymology. It is being compiled and written by a 55 year old who’s just found they’re autistic, and I am coming to terms with that, and learning what all these new terms mean. I am sharing descriptions with you and making them available in this format, it seems like the best place to start. I am also open to discussion, so… If you spot any errors or omissions please report them to dj.dazbo @ gmail.com or on reddit I could really do with your help, thank you. I’m sure there’s more than one, I’ve been burnt-out for 8 years now, brain fog is real and there are days I truly feel stupid. Hell, maybe that’s my default.
This will no doubt be a continuous work in progress.
Co-occurring morbidity. Don’t go to the worst place possible, it just means that conditions like Autism and ADHD also come with other conditions like OCD, Elhers-Danlos syndrome, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, sleep disorders, bipolar disorder and sadly many many more. Don’t panic it’s just a phrase.
What a delightful find I just made in clicking on the link to this dictionary! Coincidentally, this site was my first selection after searching the term “autistic dictionary” hoping to find a good definition for ‘info dumping’. Although I didn’t find it here, the discovery of your site (which I note is new, circa 2025) amusingly affords me the unanticipated opportunity to do just that!
I’m a 57 year old (58, tomorrow, Dec. 14) male who, for reasons you will certainly understand, is barely a five year old, late life self diagnosed autistic ADD male from a family of newspaper publishers in Kansas. One of my lifelong “special interests” is words, dictionaries, definitions and entomology. I’d like to contribute to your project, but don’t know how your site is set up to do so, nor even your name [acknowledging that this might be your intentional choice]. If you’d like to converse further please feel free to contact me at the email given.
I wish you the best of success with your endeavor, and applaud your much-needed efforts to create this!
-M. Scott Braden
Hello Michael, thank you very much for your kind words. Yes the Autism Dictionary is brand new, and my diagnosis came in March 2025, while it was a relief it didn’t allow me to categorise and label my traits. After a lot of work I could collate everything. Then I immediately thought it would be useful to others.
Given your family history with newspapers, and reporters historically being excellent word-smiths, I can see the obvious link to etymology.
I know I have missed plenty of technical terms and descriptions like “info dumping”, and I certainly hoped that someone could nudge me in the right direction. Finding someone who is willing to participate in the generation of the dictionary is very welcome indeed.
Lastly, many happy returns, Darron.
I will email you later on today (it’s nearly 4am here in the UK).