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Joshagibby Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition. While it does affect our ability to communicate socially, it's also more than that in terms of what it affects.
It turns out that the world is becoming more aware of the fact that our brains are wired differently than the brain of someone who doesn't have autism because we were exposed to some hormones early on in pregnancy (around 8 weeks).
As far as mental illnesses go, most people use the DSM-5 criteria as a guiding light on what is and is not a "mental illness" because it is more widely accepted - however, the inclusion of illnesses within the DSM-5 can and does change as we learn more about them... as is evidenced by the fact that Asperger's syndrome is now merged with Autism Spectrum Disorder and both were removed from the DSM-5.