What terms should we use when talking about autism? Autism is a group of neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by persistent challenges in social communication and interaction, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, and sensory sensitivities across multiple contexts.¹ Currently, the reported prevalence of autism is 1.5% to 2% of the population, with a male to female ratio of 4 to 5 to 1, depending on the stringency of diagnostic criteria.¹ Since the 1940s, when the condition was first named, the terms used to describe autism have focused on a deficits-based discussion based on clinical findings and phenomenology, instead of an inclusive framing of the experience of autism.