Re: FW: Days Of Our Lives Press Release (Interview)

[Guest guest]

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/features/article_1412342.php/Days_of_Our_Lives_writer_and_mom_Dena_Higley_shares_Autism_story

With all the concern about vaccines, are you going to introduce the pros and cons into the storylines and the two different camps that sort of are a little bit at war about this issue?

Dena Higley: At this time we’re not planning to simply because it would overshadow the story that we do have in place. I’ll never say never. It could happen. But at this point, there’s so much story to tell just about the impact that autism has on this one family, we don’t have enough airtime in the world to tell this story, let alone it being one of four or five stories in a day. And the summer is sort of weird anyway and the Olympics sort of, , impede our ability to tell stories.

So we’ve got a big thing to chew in small periods of time so that’s really my focus right now and I - it’s very hard for me not to be drawn into the controversy, but that’s just not where our head is at, at this point.

Yeah, I know it’s hard because Lexie is a doctor but we’re just not going to go there for awhile.

, Have you done any research on what it’s like to be the mother of an autistic child? Did you read ’s book?

: I’ve seen in interviews talking about it and it’s so interesting. I remember hearing her say in one interview that when she got the diagnosis, she said I died. And the way that she said it, it just hit me so hard.

So, I study her. I study her emotions and what she’s going through, and just talking to Dena about her son and what she’s been going through, so - because I’m totally taking this all from an emotional point of view.

I’m not getting into the statistics and all that other stuff, either. So just the different levels, different phases that you go through from hearing the diagnosis to how that makes you feel, to the loss, to the grief and then into getting into action and wanting to help your child as much as you can.

Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for forwarding. That’s really interesting. I think it’s weird that they are NOT talking about how “autism is a lifelong disability” and that they could tell this story for 50 years— plenty of time to mention other stuff.

The parents of this child have been around for a very long time- maybe 20-30 years and the audience is going to be very interesting in their “breakdown”.

I think it does make sense that Lexie won’t “go there for a while”. That is what most parents do. It usually takes them about 1-2 years to discover biomed after the dx. (of course some never do)

I wish they would take this slow- with dropping hints every few months. To see if the audience would make the connection before the parents. That would be a huge awareness thing.

Thankfully they have heard of McCarthy- LOL.

I’m curious to see what the child is going to look like- how will they make him “look autistic”. In the past, that show used a lot of “fake babies”. Fans would call the kids “logs” because it was so poorly done. I wonder if they will really show the kid at all. I haven’t really watched the show in a few years. But, I did a lot when I was younger. I think the child is 3.

-

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/features/article_1412342.php/Days_of_Our_Lives_writer_and_mom_Dena_Higley_shares_Autism_story

With all the concern about vaccines, are you going to introduce the pros and cons into the storylines and the two different camps that sort of are a little bit at war about this issue?

Dena Higley: At this time we’re not planning to simply because it would overshadow the story that we do have in place. I’ll never say never. It could happen. But at this point, there’s so much story to tell just about the impact that autism has on this one family, we don’t have enough airtime in the world to tell this story, let alone it being one of four or five stories in a day. And the summer is sort of weird anyway and the Olympics sort of, , impede our ability to tell stories.

So we’ve got a big thing to chew in small periods of time so that’s really my focus right now and I - it’s very hard for me not to be drawn into the controversy, but that’s just not where our head is at, at this point.

Yeah, I know it’s hard because Lexie is a doctor but we’re just not going to go there for awhile.

, Have you done any research on what it’s like to be the mother of an autistic child? Did you read ’s book?

: I’ve seen in interviews talking about it and it’s so interesting. I remember hearing her say in one interview that when she got the diagnosis, she said I died. And the way that she said it, it just hit me so hard.

So, I study her. I study her emotions and what she’s going through, and just talking to Dena about her son and what she’s been going through, so - because I’m totally taking this all from an emotional point of view.

I’m not getting into the statistics and all that other stuff, either. So just the different levels, different phases that you go through from hearing the diagnosis to how that makes you feel, to the loss, to the grief and then into getting into action and wanting to help your child as much as you can.

Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars <http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007> .

[Guest guest]

My mom watches the show. She says they've been hinting about it for a

while. Of course, she picked up on it because of my son. But I think

the hints have been there for a few months...

>

> Thanks for forwarding. That¹s really interesting. I think it¹s

weird that

> they are NOT talking about how ³autism is a lifelong disability² and

that

> they could tell this story for 50 years‹ plenty of time to mention other

> stuff.

>

> The parents of this child have been around for a very long time-

maybe 20-30

> years and the audience is going to be very interesting in their

³breakdown².

>

> I think it does make sense that Lexie won¹t ³go there for a while².

That is

> what most parents do. It usually takes them about 1-2 years to discover

> biomed after the dx. (of course some never do)

>

> I wish they would take this slow- with dropping hints every few

months. To

> see if the audience would make the connection before the parents. That

> would be a huge awareness thing.

>

> Thankfully they have heard of McCarthy- LOL.

>

> I¹m curious to see what the child is going to look like- how will

they make

> him ³look autistic². In the past, that show used a lot of ³fake

babies².

> Fans would call the kids ³logs² because it was so poorly done. I

wonder if

> they will really show the kid at all. I haven¹t really watched the

show in

> a few years. But, I did a lot when I was younger. I think the

child is 3.

>

> -

> >

> >

> >

> >

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/features/article_1412342.php/Day

> > s_of_Our_Lives_writer_and_mom_Dena_Higley_shares_Autism_story

> >

> > With all the concern about vaccines, are you going to introduce

the pros and

> > cons into the storylines and the two different camps that sort of

are a little

> > bit at war about this issue?

> >

> > Dena Higley: At this time we¹re not planning to simply because it

would

> > overshadow the story that we do have in place. I¹ll never say

never. It could

> > happen. But at this point, there¹s so much story to tell just

about the impact

> > that autism has on this one family, we don¹t have enough airtime

in the world

> > to tell this story, let alone it being one of four or five stories

in a day.

> > And the summer is sort of weird anyway and the Olympics sort of, ,

impede our

> > ability to tell stories.

> >

> > So we¹ve got a big thing to chew in small periods of time so

that¹s really my

> > focus right now and I - it¹s very hard for me not to be drawn into the

> > controversy, but that¹s just not where our head is at, at this point.

> >

> > Yeah, I know it¹s hard because Lexie is a doctor but we¹re just

not going to

> > go there for awhile.

> >

> > , Have you done any research on what it¹s like to be the

mother of an

> > autistic child? Did you read ¹s book?

> >

> > : I¹ve seen in interviews talking about it and

it¹s so

> > interesting. I remember hearing her say in one interview that when

she got the

> > diagnosis, she said I died. And the way that she said it, it just

hit me so

> > hard.

> >

> > So, I study her. I study her emotions and what she¹s going

through, and just

> > talking to Dena about her son and what she¹s been going through,

so - because

> > I¹m totally taking this all from an emotional point of view.

> >

> > I¹m not getting into the statistics and all that other stuff,

either. So just

> > the different levels, different phases that you go through from

hearing the

> > diagnosis to how that makes you feel, to the loss, to the grief

and then into

> > getting into action and wanting to help your child as much as you can.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient

used cars

> > <http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007> .

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Kim,

I didn’t know that. I’ll have to read some message boards and see what they have done so far. I’m curious to see what signs they showed already.

-

My mom watches the show. She says they've been hinting about it for a

while. Of course, she picked up on it because of my son. But I think

the hints have been there for a few months...