Days of our Lives
I won’t lie…I have watched “Days of our Lives” since the 4th grade! Don’t tell Jerod…but where do you think I first thought of the name Brady??? For several weeks now I have been telling my Mom I thought this was coming. Things Lexie has said on the show, you could just tell as a family of autism that is where they were headed. I am not usually proud to say I watch a soap, but I am proud of a soap opera for diving into such a huge issue affecting so many families. This past week, Theo, Lexie and Abe’s son, got a diagnosis of autism. So far they are showing the effects it has on the family’s relationships, and I am curious to see where this storyline will head. The only downfall so far is that they keep using the word “autistic”. To most people in our society, that word isn’t offensive. To a mother of autism (at least this mother), that word hurts. To me, Brady isn’t autistic - it doesn’t define who he is…Brady has autism - it is something he has. When someone suffers from cancer, we don’t call them “canceric”, we say they have cancer, and I think autism should be treated the same way. Anyway, that’s my two cents on that.
Check out this link if you want to learn more about the storyline on Days of our Lives:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/press/days_of_our_lives_autism_story.php
“Days of Our Lives” and Autism Speaks Team Up for Autism Storyline Award-winning daytime drama “Days of Our Lives” is launching a new storyline focusing on how the whole family is affected when a child is diagnosed with autism. The story will be based on the experiences of the series’ head writer, Dena Higley, who has raised a child with autism. In the story, Dr. Lexie Carver (Renee Jones) and Commissioner Abe Carver (James Reynolds) are told their 3-year-old son, Theo, has autism. In developing the story, “Days of our Lives” has joined with Autism Speaks to help convey a message of hope and impart accurate and useful information.
