Acronym
What does ASD mean?
Autism spectrum disorder: the clinical English name for a neurodevelopmental diagnosis that Portuguese and Spanish usually call TEA.
Definition
ASD (autism spectrum disorder) is a neurodevelopmental diagnosis: persistent differences in social communication plus restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or sensory life. Spectrum here is the idea that the mix of traits and of support needed changes from person to person. DSM-5 levels 1, 2 and 3 name how much support is needed now, and that can change; level 1 describes the support, not how easy the inner life is.
DSM-5 (May 2013) and ICD-11 (in force at the WHO since 1 January 2022, code 6A02) gathered what DSM-IV had sliced into autistic disorder, Asperger’s, childhood disintegrative disorder and PDD-NOS. Someone who already had an Asperger’s report stays on the spectrum; many people still use Asperger’s as identity or as shorthand for fluent speech without intellectual disability. Current manuals describe spectrum and a support level, not a second disorder.
In cardiology ASD is something else: atrial septal defect, a hole between the atria. The rest of the chart — development versus heart — splits the two acronyms. Portuguese and Spanish usually say TEA.
Origin
English autism spectrum disorder. Leo Kanner described infantile autism in 1943; Hans Asperger a profile with developed speech in 1944. Lorna Wing and Judith Gould, in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (1979), described the clustering of social traits; Wing, in February 1981 (Psychological Medicine), argued for a wider group that included what she called Asperger’s syndrome. DSM-5 locked the spectrum name in May 2013. Portuguese and Spanish usually say TEA.
History
From childhood reports the name moved to adult ones, autistic networks and HR. ICD-10 still lists F84 codes; some health systems have not finished the switch. Brazil’s Ministry of Health (technical note 91/2024) plans ICD-11 in surveillance systems from January 2027, in stages. Asperger’s stayed in personal use and in the history of the manuals.
How it emerged
Several clinical names described the same territory. A short code was needed that a report, a family and an autistic person could all repeat. Wing gave the spectrum; DSM-5 gave the English letters; Portuguese and Spanish glued TEA.
Usage examples
The report says ASD, support level 1.
TEA and ASD are the same diagnosis in different languages.
On the echocardiogram, ASD was the septal hole; at the developmental pediatrician, the spectrum.
Translations
- pt TEA / transtorno do espectro autista
- en ASD / autism spectrum disorder
- es TEA / trastorno del espectro autista
Synonyms
- autism spectrum
- TEA
- Asperger's
- autistic
Acronyms
- ASD
- TEA