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Popular kid’s show Sesame Street is introducing a new character to their current character roster. The new character’s name is Julia, and unlike any of the other characters, she has autism.
According to Dale Munro, who is a social worker who specializes in children with autism and Asperger’s, children with different disabilities have been misrepresented in kid’s shows throughout history.
After children shows treating mental ilness as a taboo, the timing feels right. According to him, more and more kids are starting to see some of their classmates may have autism, and seeing a character with that condition helps them understand it more and be more tolerant towards them.
Bullying is still a problem, and in the case of bullying towards kids with mental illness, experts say it usually comes from a place of intolerance or ignorance.
Julia is part of a new campaign by Sesame Street called “Sesame Street: See amazing in all children” that tries to help people with autism and spreads awareness about it.
For more info on this new campaign, you can visit their website here
