Sesame Street’s new character to tackle autism stigma

For those of you, who did not have the opportunity to view the new Sesame Street season, it is our pleasure to inform you that the series features a new character, Abby, who suffers from autism.

The little girl appears in a digital storybook, part of a new initiative by the ever-popular, 45-year-old show to provide information and foster compassion about autism.

Sherrie Westin, vice president of global impacts has stated that autistic children rarely look at other people when trying to interact with them.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 1 in 68 children in the U.S.is identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The initiative also is aimed at helping those who deal with the developmental disorder. Executive Vice President Westin said that according to a new study involving the nature of interaction between autistic children and their family it has been observed that family members tend to use digital applications more often than other families.

And that may be too bad, as typical children might not meet her, if their parents don’t go online and click on “Sesame Street and autism”.

“We had a coalition of diverse autism organisations”, Betancourt said.

The fact that Julia will be fully integrated among her social group, and accepted easily with all her idiosyncrasies, is meant to promote further inclusion of autistic kids among their peers.

We can nearly hear you say, “Why talk about her when she’s so normal?”

“If you’re five years old, and see another kid not making eye contact with you, you may think that child doesn’t want to play with you”.

Sesame Street has just debuted its first autistic character, Julia, in order to raise greater awareness, acceptance and empathy regarding this condition. It’s a simple way to get the conversation about autism started without discomfort and awkwardness.

Ree Hines wrote for Today that Julia “offers children a relatable character they can understand”. “It spells out these things in concrete ways that kids can understand”. And, while it is incurable, according to the National Autistic Society, the “right support at the right time can make an enormous difference to people’s lives”.