There ’s a young Muppet onSesame Street : Julia . She ’s a " preschool girl with autism who does things a little otherwise when playing with her ally , the lovable Elmo , Abby Cadabby , and Grover , " the Sesame WorkshoptoldABC Newsin 2015 , when Julia made her debut — in digital phase — as the face of a panoptic set of autism - awareness creature the Sesame Workshop had roam out called " Sesame Streetand Autism : See Amazing in All Children . " But base on her popularity online , Julia is about to become a full - fledged Muppet when she joins the residuum of the gang onSesame Streetin April .
In the storybook , Julia explain to herSesame Streetfriends how she likes to represent a little differently from them .
" If you ’re five years quondam , and see another minor not making eye physical contact with you , you may think that fry does n’t want to play with you . But that ’s not the case , " Sherrie Westin , Sesame Workshop ’s executive frailty Chief Executive of global impact and philanthropic gift , toldPeoplein 2015 . " We want to create greater awareness and empathy . " The television version of Julia endeavors to do the same .
" I think the big give-and-take mightily at the start was , ' How do we do this ? How do we talk about autism?'“said Christine Ferraro , who has been writing forSesame Streetfor 25 year , and has seen the number of children with autism addition during that clock time .
To ensure they get the fiber just right , the Sesame Workshop has enlisted the services of Stacey Gordon , a puppeteer and mom who has a son with autism . " It ’s important for child without autism to see what autism can front like,“Gordon told60 Minutes ' Lesley Stahl . " Had my Logos ’s ally been exposed to his behaviour through something that they had realise on TV before they get them in the schoolroom , they might not have been frightened . They might not have been worried when he cried . They would have known that he plays in a different way and that that ’s OK . "
Though Julia wo n’t make her small - screen unveiling until next calendar month , you may get a stalker peep of her eccentric in the video below :
Julia is one of manyMuppets who have tackled serious topic . Over the years , Sesame Streethas feature Muppets who administer with food insecurity , malaria , visual deterioration , parental captivity , bullying , and living with HIV . Welcome , Julia ! We ’re happy you’rehere to be awe-inspiring with us .
