Sesame Street’s new Character, Julia, just made her Debut
Sesame Street recently revealed to the public that they’d be bringing a new friend to their show. Her name would be Julia, and she’d be on the autism spectrum. The autism spectrum holds a number of diagnosis’ and they’re all unique, just like those who are autistic. There have been shows and films that show autistic characters, but not frequently, and with the number of people on the spectrum, there is room for more representation.
When Sesame Street brought Julia into their show; they made her a higher functioning character. She talks, maybe not in full conversation, and she’s got apparent ‘ticks’ that show how autism feels to a child. When the other characters were finger painting, she used a brush – her picture was much more ‘skilled’ than you’d expect for her age. She didn’t tolerate the sound of sirens, and she had to go to a quiet place to calm down with her stuffed bunny and deep breathing exercises.
Big Bird tries to speak to Julia and she doesn’t respond, he grows frustrated and says that he’s not sure Julia likes him. Then, a moment happens, and it’s explained that Julia isn’t ignoring him, she’s just got autism. Then, another moment happens, and it’s explained that ‘for Julia…autism means…’ and people who are on the spectrum or that love someone who is, rejoiced.
Autism is different for everyone, and the way it was explained on the episode made that easy for children to understand, but also for parents too. April is Autism Acceptance month and there was no better time to introduce Julia to the show and to audiences around the world.
Oftentimes, people with autism are described as people who lack empathy and feeling or that they’re cold and withdrawn. Julia is a lively character who seems to love her peers, even if her autism makes her different from them. She’s not withdrawn or cold – she feels emotions too – sometimes too strongly, and it makes her shut down.
You can watch the full clip for yourself and see how Julia brought autism to families watching Sesame Street, it’s a very sweet segment.
‘…but I knew him’
