House (2004) - 3x04 - Lines in the Sand

House takes the case of Adam, a 10-year-old severely autistic boy who screams loudly for no apparent reason, at least not a reason his three previous doctors could diagnose. The team wonders why House is taking the case - the boy's not sick; his symptoms seem to be a product of his autism. House claims he just wants a patient who can't lie, but it seems he relates to this kid: the social aloofness, the obsession with detail, the lack of social graces. In fact, House actually envies him; living in a shell has its advantages. But when Cuddy makes a minor change to House's office and House refuses to use the office until it's returned to its original state, he finds himself wandering the hospital in need of a temporary home, crashing in Cuddy and Wilson's offices. Meanwhile, teenager Ali from the previous episode still has a crush on House and is becoming a nuisance around the hospital. As Adam becomes more ill and the torturous diagnostic procedures yield nothing, House realizes he needs an answer, and his patient just might be the only one who can give him one. House finds he has to break through the very shell he admires in order to get anything out of the boy.

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