Sesame Street introduces first ever autistic character

Hats off to Sesame Street. The iconic children’s show has debuted its very first autistic character as part of a campaign to take the stigma out of autism and raise awareness and empathy.

Smiley pre-schooler Julia is to play an important role in the initiative Sesame Street and Autism: See All in Amazing Children, which provides various online tools and resources for children with autism and their families including a free app, videos and storybooks.

“Sesame Workshop is uniquely positioned to play a meaningful role in increasing peoples’ understanding about autism,” says Sherrie Westin Executive Vice President, Global Impact and Philanthropy at Sesame Workshop. “This project is an extension of the belief we’ve always promoted: ‘we are all different, but all the same.’ I am passionate about this initiative, and am so proud of the partnerships with the autism community that have led to this.”

We think it’s fantastic to see autism represented in a children’s show, especially one as influential as Sesame Street. Hopefully it will be only a matter of time before other popular shows follow suit.