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A redhead who loves to sing and remembers the words to lots
of songs, Julia will debut on the show for preschoolers on April
10 after a five-year outreach effort to families and experts on
autism, Sesame Workshop said on Monday.
"For years, families of children with autism have asked us to
address the issue," Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice
president of U.S. social impact at the nonprofit Sesame
Workshop, said in a statement.
One in 68 American children is currently diagnosed with autism,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an
increase of some 119 percent since 2000.
Autism is a developmental disorder present from early childhood,
characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming
relationships with other people and in using language and
abstract concepts
Stacey Gordon, the puppeteer who will perform the role of Julia,
and Christine Ferraro who wrote her part, both have family
members who are on the autism spectrum.
"It's important for kids without autism to see what autism can
look like," Gordon told the CBS show "60 Minutes" in a preview
on Sunday.
"Had my son's friends been exposed to his behaviors through
something that they had seen on TV before they experienced them
in the classroom, 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 okay," she
added.
The show will see Julia interact with favorite characters like
Big Bird and Elmo but sometimes get overexcited, or flap her
hands.
The character will be supported with books and videos in both
Spanish and English on the sesamestreet.org website and costumed
character visits to community events.
Since its launch in 1969, "Sesame Street" has tackled issues
such as divorce, disability, race and death alongside its role
in teaching very young children to read, count and learn colors.
"Sesame Street" is seen in either the United States on PBS and
HBO, or local TV versions in more than 150 nations and has won
multiple awards for its educational content and its message of
inclusion.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
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