In psychiatry, autism (called autistic disorder in the DSM) is considered a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes marked problems with social relatedness, communication, interest, and behavior. It is considered to be one of the five types of pervasive developmental disorders (or autism spectrum disorders).
Typical characteristics include great difficulty in communicating with others, inability to understand jokes or read between the lines, and a somewhat unintentional lack of consideration for those outside of their 'sensory independence'; their independent world.
Typically, autism spectrum disorders appear during the first three years of life. It is estimated that it occurs in approximately 4 to 12 in 10,000 individuals, and is 4 times more prevalent in males than females.
While certain (inconclusive) treatments for autism exist, it is widely considered that absolute cure from autism is impossible since it involves aspects of neurological brain structure determined very early in development.
Indeed, many autistic people (and some non-autistic allies) in the "autism rights movement" do not wish autism to be cured. They see autism not as a disorder but as a way of being, and see attempts to cure autism in the same light as an attempt to "cure" someone from any other minority group.