What is Autism exactly?

i largely disagree with dhagl1! Brain damage can certainly cause autism but most people affected by autism have inherited a set of genes that gives us an underdeveloped part of the brain that does social interaction. I, for example, am hopeless at facial recognition, have severe difficulty with eye contact and making use of non verbal signals. On the other hand I am very good at maths, physics etc and have a BSc, an MPhil and and MBA. All of these were obtained, along with my marriage of 30 years standing and two grown up sons, before i was diagnosed. My problems have arisen throughout my life and the latest episode resulted in my boss becoming very angry/violent and i was being put on a disciplinary track. So, my bit of the brain that does the social stuff is underdeveloped but other parts of the brain are perfectly well, or better, compared to "average". I can overcome the underdeveloped nature of the social bit by practice, understanding and asking for some reasonable adjustments at work. I don't feel disabled at all.

my genes mean that my father was eccentric, my uncles and aunts on fathers side have failed to sustain relationships, my grandfather pleased his wife by dying early! and his father was famously awkward and disagreeable. All of these did not have the benefit of the diagnosis that i now have. To me the diagnosis has unlocked my family's eccentricities. It is now a puzzle that i can solve and the solution has already lifted me out of a mass of stress and depression that has recurred in recent years.

i largely disagree with dhagl1! Brain damage can certainly cause autism but most people affected by autism have inherited a set of genes that gives us an underdeveloped part of the brain that does social interaction. I, for example, am hopeless at facial recognition, have severe difficulty with eye contact and making use of non verbal signals. On the other hand I am very good at maths, physics etc and have a BSc, an MPhil and and MBA. All of these were obtained, along with my marriage of 30 years standing and two grown up sons, before i was diagnosed. My problems have arisen throughout my life and the latest episode resulted in my boss becoming very angry/violent and i was being put on a disciplinary track. So, my bit of the brain that does the social stuff is underdeveloped but other parts of the brain are perfectly well, or better, compared to "average". I can overcome the underdeveloped nature of the social bit by practice, understanding and asking for some reasonable adjustments at work. I don't feel disabled at all.

my genes mean that my father was eccentric, my uncles and aunts on fathers side have failed to sustain relationships, my grandfather pleased his wife by dying early! and his father was famously awkward and disagreeable. All of these did not have the benefit of the diagnosis that i now have. To me the diagnosis has unlocked my family's eccentricities. It is now a puzzle that i can solve and the solution has already lifted me out of a mass of stress and depression that has recurred in recent years.