The article’s paywalled, but a study of Washington Post articles over a ten-year period shows that autism coverage “shifted […] from a focus on ‘cause and cure’ toward one of acceptance and accommodation” but still exhibited problems.

Although the paper’s coverage over time gradually placed more emphasis on autistic skills and strengths, coverage continued to use negative terms to describe autistic people. For example, the terms “high functioning” and “low functioning” continue to appear, despite autistic advocates’ preference for more specific language, such as “speaking” and “non-speaking.” And the emphasis on strengths was on autistic people who can do things like speak conversationally and hold jobs.