Parents say the so-called ‘rapid prompting method’ unlocks hidden talents in their minimally verbal autistic children, but researchers question whether the words produced are the child’s own.

Growing ranks of researchers on the spectrum are overcoming barriers — from neurotypical bias to sensory sensitivities — to shape autism science.

Isolated from their peers, some autistic men get drawn into extremist views — and, in rare cases, violence — associated with online groups for ‘celibates.’

Doctors often conflate autism and intellectual disability, and no wonder: The biological distinction between them is murky. Scientific progress depends on knowing where the conditions intersect — and part ways.

Most autistic people want to and can make friends, though their relationships often have a distinctive air.

For many autistic adults, the golden years are tarnished by poor health, poverty and, in some cases, homelessness. Their plight reveals huge gaps in care.

Autistic adults have more job opportunities than they used to, and a small neurodiverse workforce is thriving — but mainly at select companies that invest heavily in such employees.

Aripiprazole, marketed as Abilify, is widely thought to be safer than risperidone, the only other drug approved for use in autistic children. A decade’s worth of data suggests that is not true.

Many people with autism experience a triad of trauma: neglect at home, abuse from trusted adults and bullying at school or work.

Some scientists say an immune condition called PANDAS affects as many as 1 in 200 children who have traits similar to those of autism. But many experts contest that figure — and even the condition’s very existence.