'Sesame Street' raises autism awareness with its first autistic character 'Julia'

• comments
• 
• 

'Sesame Street' unveiled their newest muppet, Julia, as the first character in the show with autism.

Julia joined the muppet cast as part of their new initiative, "Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children."  The official "Sesame Street" website also has online resources for parents with kids who have autism.

According to the official website, the initiative was created for families with children ages 2 to 5 who have autism. It is also geared towards banishing the stigma of autism, promote awareness and increase understanding for people of all ages, especially other children.

"In the U.S., 1 in 68 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). That makes autism more prevalent than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined," the website stated. "While the diagnosis is common, public understanding of autism is not. The lack of understanding around the condition contributes to discrimination, verbal abuse, even physical violence.

"A recent study reveals that children with autism are five times more likely to be bullied than their peers-treatment no child should endure."

The website contains digital storybooks, videos and various resources that can help out families of autism children.

According to PEOPLE, the online website which also has an app can help educate other children what autism is and how they can interact with them.

"This is what makes our project so unique," Dr. Jeanette Betancourt told the outlet. "When we explain from a child's point of view that there are certain behaviors, such as slapping their hands or making noises, to express excitement or unhappiness, it helps younger children to understand how to interact with their autistic peers. It makes children more comfortable and therefore more inclusive."

It was also explained that families with autistic children prefer digital content which is why Julia was introduced as such. Julia is first seen in the storybook, "We're Amazing, 1, 2, 3!" with Elmo explaining to their friend Abby of Julia's condition and how she reacts differently to normal social cues.

"We are trying to spread the story about the theory behind this whole thing - love and acceptance," said Dr. Betencourt. "Everyone is touched by autism, and by creating Julia, Sesame is bringing children together."

ABC News noted that "Sesame Street" picked a female muppet because autism is more common in boys than in girls and "get less attention" regarding their daily challenges. A hashtag #SeeAmazing was created by the initiative to promote awareness on social media, Entertainment Weekly reports.