Matthew Mackey (The Shield)

Matthew Mackey is a recurring character in the crime drama series The Shield.

Biography
Matthew is the middle child of the series' main character Vic Mackey.

Autism
Matthew is diagnosed with autism in episode 5 of season 1. His younger sister Megan Mackey is diagnosed in season 3, episode 12. There is relatively little focus on either child character, more attention is given to his family dealing with his autism. Season 4 features a storyline where Matthew's parents enter a class-action lawsuit against vaccine manufacturers due to the idea that thiomersal causes autism. One of their motivations for entering this lawsuit was to get money to pay for therapy, special education, etc. However this storyline quickly petered out; their parents want to enroll Megan in a clinical trial but only people without pending litigation are eligible. Their father procures a bunch of money illegally, allowing them to drop out of the lawsuit and enroll in the trial.