Hoping to reach out to more children, Sesame Street is bringing one of the characters it introduced digitally into the show. Julia, a Muppet with autism who was introduced a couple of years back, will now be a regular on the show. To get her character right, the Sesame Street team worked not just with child psychologists but also with autism organizations. It was done in an effort to normalize children’s interaction with other kids who might have autism. According to Sesame Street writer Christine Ferraro, Julia’s inclusion in the show is happening “so that when [children] encounter [autistic children] in their real life, it’s familiar. And they see that these—these can be their friends, too.” Julia’s character will be making an appearance on the TV show in the next few weeks.
With its 1st Julia ep, Sesame Street hopes to deliver a message of inclusion. Elmo: We really like Julia. She’s really special to us.” pic.twitter.com/UpgbMQr1pt
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) March 20, 2017
Source: Mashable