"In Plain Sight" features character with Asperger's

From Dannett Frey, Taking Care of the Written Word, 2010:

The June 9 episode of "In Plain Sight" on USA Network there is a character on the show that is in the witness protection program as she is a witness to a federal case. She is having difficulty in her witness protection life as she is unable to lie to people. She is unable to understand the facial expressions and the verbal intonations that others are able to pick up quickly. So her time in the program is difficult for her. But to her advantage she is able to work with numbers quickly and does not need to use a computer or paper to keep track of the vast amounts of information.

Does this properly represent Autism or specifically Asperger's syndrome? No one can really answer this question with great accuracy. Autism and Asperger's syndrome are still being researched and understood and can be difficult to diagnose as there is such a wide degree of symptoms. The degrees can vary widely from one person to another even in the same family.

If one is to remember that "In Plain Sight" is a television program and there is always creative elements added into the storyline, this character was very similar to a number of folks I worked with Asperger's and Autism. I believe they had done an excellent job showing the abilities of a child or adult with in this case Asperger's syndrome. If you are a parent of a child or adult with autism then you would be very proud of their portrayal of this disorder.