Actor-turned-author Denis Leary has apologized for his scathing remarks against children suffering with autism - insisting his quotes were taken out of context by the media.

The Rescue Me star sparked outrage among activists for young autism sufferers when an excerpt from his book Why We Suck: A Feel-Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid was printed in a newspaper earlier this month.

In the book, Leary claims some parents use the brain development disorder as an excuse to explain their children's "laziness", and blames the surge in autism on "inattentive mothers and competitive dads".

However, Leary has taken a step back since landing in hot water over the remarks. He tells the Boston Herald, "I apologize for any pain the out-of-context quotes from my book may have caused."

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)