Curious about how accurate the portrayal of Sammy, the autistic child from Criminal Minds 'Coda'.

I recalled one thing from an article I read about autism (which was eons ago) about the autistic person's need for schedules and conformity in life. It also included a story detailing one such autistic boy who survived a cold night lost in the woods because he refused to fall asleep anywhere other than in his own bed.

From my own (limited!) experience, I find Sammy to be quite an honest portrayal. My first thought when I saw the promo was actually "Oh great, another musical autistic genius. Hasn't it been done to death already?" While Sammy is shown playing the piano, he only plays one song - repetitively. As Reid points out, Sammy goes to the store everyday at the same time, his parents switch on the same music, and he plays the same song over again and again. Sammy may not be a musical savant, but he is good at the piano because familiarity, ritual and repetition allows him to grasp the skill. Again, maybe it is more realistic to think that the showrunners do not wish to showcase Sammy's mad piano-playing skills in a 40-minute time-slot.

The aspect of Sammy having never hugged back his mother or initiating touch (which made the scene with Reid so awesome, by the way) was very nicely touched upon. There's a new scientific clue in terms of why autistic people possess this behavioral aspect: Science Daily: New Clue Why Autistic People Don't Want Hugs.