What do autistic and autism mean?

"Into oneself" from : the Greek word transliterated incorrectly as " autismos". It's the same root word as for "automatic,", self-driven, etc. Dr. Kanner coined the diagnosis in the 40's for children who responded more to internal cues than to environmental stimuli; e.g., who laughed or cried without an external stimulus or hummed, rocked, & paid no attention to others, now Autistic Spectrum Disorder Level 3.