Autism on "Days of Our Lives": Is This a Good Thing? Your Opinion Requested!

I think I watched two episodes of the soap opera Days of Our Lives back in the 1970's. I haven't seen the show since then. So I have no clue whether this press release from Autism Speaks (which is working with the show's writing staff) represents a breakthrough or a pitfall for the autism community. Here's what the release has to say:

The growing autism crisis – which has recently drawn increasing national attention -- is addressed in a personal manner beginning in the June 24 episode of NBC's daytime drama “Days of our Lives” in an insightful story based on the experiences of the series' head writer, Dena Higley, who, with her husband has raised Commisioner Abe Caver, Dr. Lexie Carver and Theo an autistic child of their own. NBC joins with Autism Speaks, the nation's leading autism advocacy organization, to help convey a message of hope and useful information during the course of the storyline.

In the creative arc to continue through the summer, Dr. Lexie Carver (Renee Jones) and Commissioner Abe Carver (James Reynolds), are told their 3-year-old son, Theo, has autism. The news of Theo's diagnosis is understandably hard for the couple to comprehend, but through the love and support of family and friends, and the love for their son, they learn a lot about their family and how to cope with this tremendous, new challenge.

The Higleys' son, Connor, was diagnosed at age three. Now 19 years old, he recently graduated from high school. Higley and her husband's personal struggles and triumphs of raising a son with autism, plus three other children, are why she is so passionate about sharing her story -- one that hundreds of thousands of other American parents are also currently experiencing.

“We're telling the profound and life-altering story of a child with autism from his parents' point of view,” said head writer Higley. “Their pain, their struggle -- and ultimately, their ability to find life-affirming hope in the midst of learning how to live day to day with this disability. This is a personal story for me...as my husband and I have walked in the shoes Abe and Lexie are now about to walk in."

Are you a Days of Our Lives fan? If so, maybe you can comment on this project. Are you looking forward to seeing Abe and Lexi cope with an autism diagnosis? Do you think that, along with Autism Speaks, the Days writers can do a good job of exploring the ups and downs of autism?

In fact... if there's a Days of Our Lives fan out there who's interested in keeping the rest of us up to date, I'd love to hear from you. I know there are an awful lot of interested viewers out there - and there's no doubt that media portrayals of autism carry tremendous weight. A regular update on the autism adventures of Lexi, Abe and Theo would be a great summer addition to this site.