LIVINGSTON, N.J. — The commotion began just as the teenage boy was to pay for his apple juice. He flapped his hands wildly, tugged at the noise-canceling headphones atop his brown curls and then turned to his mother to deliver a head butt.

The supermarket cashier stood quietly, her smile unwavering as she patiently waited for the boy’s mood to stabilize.

Kenneth Kaufman, 15, has autism, and is something of a regular here in this small grocery store inside LifeTown, a 53,000-square-foot complex dedicated to helping people with autism and other physical and intellectual disabilities to deal with everyday activities.

Roughly a quarter of the space is occupied by a mock village of 15 storefronts, including a “bank” where arriving visitors withdraw $12 to use to buy snacks at a mini ShopRite grocery, or get their nails done at a beauty parlor called Linda’s Salon.