Several months ago Sesame Street introduced their newest Muppet character, Julia, who has autism.
The show debuted Julia in April of this year and 60 Minutes did a wonderful segment featuring an interview with writer Christine Ferraro. You can read the interview here.
Sesame Street, which has been on air for nearly 50 years, has always based its characters and content on extensive research. In the case of Julia, they also worked with autism organizations to decide which characteristics she should have and how best to normalize autism for all children.
Writer Christine Ferraro:
“It’s a tricky because autism is not one thing, because it is different for every single person who has autism. There is an expression that goes, “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.”
Here’s a great clip of Julia on the show:
We would love to hear your thoughts about Julia and if you have seen the show in the last few months, your reaction and that of your family members to the new character.
In the coming weeks we will take a look at other new TV shows debuting this year featuring a character with autism.