Katie - Final Thoughts

I'm unable to believe that after so many interviews, emails, posts and comments, the Combating Autism from Within series is over. As I've written before, we have worked hard to not only bring you the viewer coverage of all aspects of this disorder, but to involve you as much as possible in this news-gathering process.

Let's be honest - this series would not be what it is without you, our online audience. Thank you for taking the time to read, watch, defend, and critique our work and the work of each other; we're grateful for your feedback and for the chance to hear (or read) your personal stories. When we geared up for the series in August, we had no idea it would turn into such an expansive project, but thanks to your willingness to participate, it really grew and reached more people than we first imagined.

Thanks again for your help and please watch our hour-long show in February to see clips and hear details about how the series came together!

Michael's story aired

I'm so thrilled that the series has officially started and Michael's story has aired! As many of you returning visitors know, this series has been in the making for quite a while now and it's incredible that the air dates have FINALLY arrived after so many trips, interviews, phone calls, and Ashley's countless hours spent in the edit bays at KOMU.

We've been working hard to bring you the best coverage we can of this disorder that affects so many individuals and their families. We sincerely hope you enjoy the series and learn something new from the people we feature. I know that visiting Michael and his family about a month ago taught me so much about this disorder; I realize that each family truly has its own method and tools for coping with autism.

I also hope that all of our viewers realize the lengths Ashley has gone to in order to provide KOMU's audience with a balanced series. Over the course of this month, we will feature families, doctors and researchers of all types and with all kind of opinions to make sure we provide all sides of the story.

I'd like to stress to everyone again just how much we want to hear from you - please use this blog as an open forum for commenting and visit KOMU.com for special extras and added information. We've used your comments and posts to guide us in reporting, now it's your turn to tell us how we did!

Watch Michael

Meeting 11/28

Here is a clip from this week. Thanks to Katie who put this together!

Michael-First View

Here is a sneak peek from our webcam. Thanks to Katie for putting this together!

Michael-Katie

I'm not even sure how to begin this post and start reflecting on our trip to Brookfield to meet the Colliers. The trip was incredible, especially because this was my first time interacting with one of the families we're featuring in the series.

I was struck by these family members' strength and affection for one another. Although Michael is nonverbal and unable to communicate like most of us, his grandparents, father, and sister all said they have no problem interacting with him - Michael just has his own way of communicating.

Each person had the same look on his face when asked about Michael; everyone smiled, sang his praises and spoke with pride about him and his accomplishments. Like Ashley and Mark mentioned, the Colliers stick to a routine and make everything look so easy! They all really helped us to capture a true day in Michael's life; we spent time with him in the classroom, his grandparents' home, and his home. It was nice to be able to see Michael in a variety of setting and watch him learning, playing, laughing, and communicating. Michael's dad and grandfather both said Michael is one of the happiest kids they know.

I hope you all check out the First View of our trip going up soon and look for the Colliers to appear in the series!

Ayoub- First View

Here is a sneak peek for our bloggers. Thanks for doing this Katie!

Ayoub-Katie

I just officially wrapped up my First View video of our day in Springfield, IL with Dr. Ayoub, the part-time radiologist and part-time autism/vaccine researcher. (You can see the video above) It was so hard to decide which clips of the interview would work best in the video - Dr. Ayoub had so much to say! I loved how he was direct with his responses and it was easy to tell how invested he is in his research and this cause.

Despite our "detour" in St. Louis and getting to Springfield later than expected, Dr. Ayoub still welcomed us to the hospital and allowed us to get a feel for his work environment outside of his autism and vaccine studies.

My favorite part of the interview was when he explained how each parent should do his or her own research to make informed decisions about vaccines. I really appreciated how he shared his opinion, but also recognized that each family needs to make up its own mind regarding the health of its children.


I'm thrilled for everyone to see the interview as part of the series - you won't want to miss it!

Introduction-Katie

Hello! My name is Katie Dohse and I'm a Research Assistant for Combating Autism from Within. Since we began researching a month or so ago, I've learned so much about mercury-containing vaccines and state vaccination laws. I've also been familiarizing myself with as many studies as possible and especially those written by our interviewees. Please create a post or comment if you have any input - we'd love to hear your perspective!