Very interesting episode of House the other night. This is a programme Deb and I like quite a bit - Hugh Laurie draws a magnificent character, full of flaws and complexity.

Last night's episode revolved around a child with autism who (it evenually turned out) had acquired a parasite which caused all sorts of symptoms, but very hard to diagnose because they couldn't communicate with the child.

To cut a long story short, it was really encouraging to see a portrayal of life with autism on mainstream tv - without the 'Rain Man' style spin (when I tell people about Alex, I still regularly get asked 'what does he do?). It was just an ordinary life for people coping with autism - rigid schedules, PECS, worry, frustration (one particular scene involved the parents pinning the screaming child down so some tests could be done, which rang a few bells). The unrealistic sudden willingness of the child to attempt to communicate with House only spoiled it a little bit.

Another interesting attempt was the effort to try and portray the world through the eyes of the child - how the world is perceived, with all the over stimulation making it impossible to focus on what someone is asking you to focus on.

All in all, a great effort. Not perfect maybe, but still good to see a (reasonably) realistic portrayal of life with autism.