On Days of Our Lives, Renee Jones has portrayed a best friend, cop, doc, bad girl, and, in recent years, Salem's top adulteress.

However, the actress latest storyline - which depicts Lexie as a mother coping with her son's battle with autism - has been her most challenging to date.

The Days of Our Lives star talked about it with Soap Opera Weekly. Here are excerpts from the interview:

Soap Opera Weekly: What was your reaction when you heard you and James Reynolds (Abe) were the actors chosen to have an autistic child?
Renee Jones: I was blown away. I never thought they would give Abe and Lexie this kind of a storyline.

Weekly: Did you do any research or anything to prepare for this?
Jones: I spoke to our head writer, Dena Higley, whose son has autism, and the show immediately connected me with Autism Speaks so I could learn about it. Autism Speaks connected me with a mother and her little boy. I got to go to his speech therapy class and his occupational therapy, and I [observed] them. Oh, my gosh! Seeing that mother — she was so excited over any little tiny achievement her son made. I was watching her more than him.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.