Sesame Street has been tackling numerous topics and issues for decades now so it was no surprise that they would eventually tackle one of the most pervasive and growing issues for children in the United States: Autism. It was announced a few weeks ago that they would be debuting Julia, the show’s first autistic character. On Monday, Julia made her debut. The episode focused on inclusion and education of the disorder.
“I think it’s a great awareness for kids and they can grow up watching that. When they get to school and they have a child in their class with autism, they have already seen that before and know what to expect and how to be friends with a child with autism,” said Kerry Lust, mother of a 9-year-old boy with autism.
“Some of Julia’s traits are similar to Brandon’s. She doesn’t like loud noises and she covers her ears and she takes deep breaths to calm down. That’s very similar to Brandon. So, I was a little emotional during that part,” she smiled.
Julia has in fact appeared in some videos and books for Sesame Street but the developers of the show have been working on her character for years, doing extensive research. Many are calling yesterday’s show a “win” for autism and the hope is that it creates more awareness for a condition that affects an estimated 1 in 68 children now.
You can see the entire clip of Julia below:
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