What is autism?

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This is kinda touchy, so try not to be offended, but what is autism? Is it a disability in the sense that something goes wrong in the brain, or is just a difference? Or is there a purpose for it in our collective functioning?

Autism is a neurological difference in the brain. As I understand it, the framework of connections (synapses) is created differently, and it has a direct impact on the brain, resulting in the internal and external symptoms presented by autistic people. For example, mind-blindness, inability to understand body language, social dysfunction and so on.

I am by no means an expert, though, so if I've made a mistake, I am open to correction.

That's pretty much a text book response, thought there is still a lot that is unknown about it. The "symptoms" are about as varied as the severity, and no two people will have the same aspects (some similarities, but that's where it ends). For example, one person in the ASD can be outgoing, but still suffer the "social awkwardness" whereas another will be introverted and will avert from social interaction when possible. Someone mentioned on another thread, "If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism." So i agree that its not a disability given that we can still make a living for ourselves (to a degree, situations pending), but the rest of society views it as one just because we cannot interact well with others and are proverbial "Absent Minded Professors" (i know i can be ).

The implicit assumption of your assertion above is that people with a disability cannot make a living for themselves. That is a grossly denigrating and counter-factual stereotype.

Many disabled people make a living for themselves. Stereotypes that posit disabled people as being necessarily completely without ability (or insufficient ability to make a living) are dehumanizing and blatently false. Being short-sighted is a disability. Plenty of shortsighted people are able to make a living for themselves, particulary with accommodating prosphetics.

It's a difference in the brain. No one fully knows why it happens and what exactly goes on in our brains. I like it that way too, because as soon as scientists do learn the full story, they'll jump right to creating prenatal testing.

Just google search it, I love wikipedia. lol
Autism comes in many forms, some autistics are very low functioning but some are very high functioning.
There can be many many many differences between different autistic people.
The best way to put it, in my opinion, is simply "Wrong Planet Syndrome".

This depends on who's definition of disability you are using. Using some definitions Autism is universally a disability, if you are using the definition used for SSDI, then it MAY be a disability, and other definitions, Autism is not a disability at all. Of course, some of these same definitions can have the same exact answer if you substitute blindness, deafness, or being confined to a wheelchair in place of autism.