Who doesn’t love Sesame Street? Last year, the
groundbreaking children’s television program gave us another reason to love it
when digital Sesame Workshop introduced its first character with autism, an adorable orange Muppet named Julia. Now, just in time
for National Autism Awareness Month
2016,
Sesame Workshop announced, in a press release, that it has unveiled the second phase of its
Emmy-nominated autism initiative, Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in
All Children.
Phase Two will include the release of 12 new videos
featuring children with autism and Muppet, Abby Cadabby, plus a new animation
featuring Julia.
“The new content is part of a suite of free resources for
families, teachers, providers, and caregivers available on the Sesame Street website and as an app for iOS and Android,” the press release said.
In case you missed it, Julia arrived on Sesame Street in Oct.
2015, as part of a new initiative created to address the misconceptions and stigma
around autism spectrum disorders, which according to CDC estimates, affects one in 68 children in the U.S.
“The lack of understanding around the condition contributes to
discrimination, verbal abuse, even physical violence,” according to Sesame
Workshop’s website. “A recent study reveals that children with autism are five
times more likely to be bullied than their peers—treatment no child should
endure. While the differences between people with autism and their peers may
seem significant, children share something far more important: unique qualities
and talents that make the world an interesting place.”
In a way, it’s a no brainer that Julia should come to live on
Sesame Street, a place that has embraced diversity for the past 47 years. In
fact, some people are wondering why it took so long for an autistic character
to appear on Sesame Street.
As it turns out, the folks at Sesame Workshop spent three years researching
and consulting with experts in the autism field, to be sure that their
portrayal of Julia was realistic. That’s a tall order since, as anyone familiar
with autism spectrum disorder knows, autism presents differently in every person
who has it. Julia, described by Sesame Workshop's Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, in an interview
with ABC News, as having a “moderate degree of autism,” flaps her arms when
excited, has trouble making direct eye contact, is bothered by certain noises,
and takes longer than her peers to process information. She plays “a little
differently” than her pals as well. For example, while Elmo likes to use blocks to build towers and
then knocks them down, Julia likes to set up her blocks in a row. While Elmo
likes to play games with toy cars and trucks, Julia likes to
watch the wheels of her toy vehicles spin around and around. But it’s all good.
That’s the message of the Sesame Street and Autism initiative, as well as the
message of “The Amazing Song,” music video, a Phase Two
addition to the initiative’s website.
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