Story perspectives

Autistic Teens Favor Candy, Guess Peers Better; Adults Excel

7/18/2026

Summary

Story summary

A team led by researcher Shannon Cahalan (National Institute of Mental Health) published a Nature study of 83 autistic teens, 119 autistic peers and 191 adults on preference learning.
Autistic teens guessed non-autistic peers better than autistic peers, preferring candy and art supplies over salads, vegetables and fitness gear.
Higher autistic-trait scores slowed and increased errors, while adults guessed teens with smaller errors and improved, though autistic girls were limited.

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Story summary

A team led by researcher Shannon Cahalan (National Institute of Mental Health) published a Nature study of 83 autistic teens, 119 autistic peers and 191 adults on preference learning.
Autistic teens guessed non-autistic peers better than autistic peers, preferring candy and art supplies over salads, vegetables and fitness gear.
Higher autistic-trait scores slowed and increased errors, while adults guessed teens with smaller errors and improved, though autistic girls were limited.