‘Sesame Street’ Adds A Muppet With Autism To Its Roster

She is also autistic, a first for the show, which began in 1969.

In its 48-year history, the PBS children’s program began as an experiment to teach kids, and its introduction of Julia is just the latest example of its producers trying out new things.

She hopes Julia will help other kids to understand that people with autism sometimes act and play differently.

The creation of the character involved a lot of research, and more than 14 autism awareness and advocacy groups were consulted, according to NPR.

Sesame Street is adding a new character to its lineup with Julia, a muppet who has vibrant red hair and autism. “I don’t want to let the autism community down”.

Julia falls on the “moderately impacted with autism” and has echolalia, or repetitive speech patterns. One shows her sitting at a table, painting with some of the other characters.

Although she already existed in print and digital books as part of the initiative, Julia is yet to be introduced in an aired show. The character will definitely resonate with many kids and their families, making this a huge moment for representation. “We wanted to promote a better understanding and reduce the stigma often found around these children”, show writer Christine Ferrao told 60 Minutes.

“We had to explain to Big Bird that Julia likes Big Bird”, Elmo told Stahl.

“The modeling here is to reaching kids to give them empathy”.

The puppeteer who plays Julia, Stacey Gordon, has a son with autism and had worked as a therapist to children on the autism spectrum.

In the introductory segment, Julia is having fun with Abby and Elmo when Big Bird walks up.

The way around it was describing autism not as a blanket condition, but through the lens of what it means for Julia individually. The character made her debut on a clip on 60 Minutes, a news magazine show on CBS News. “What it might present itself with, and be more compassionate and understanding”, she said.

Garvin is on the autism spectrum with milder symptoms thanks to early intervention and counseling.

The online storybook’s author, Leslie Kimmelman, said on the website that her son was diagnosed with autism more than 20 years ago, changing her life “instantly and profoundly”.

Her name is Julia.

“It’s a very rewarding thing to have”.

The National Autistic Society are also thrilled about Julia’s character.