Sesame Street set to introduce autistic character in April

The creators of the historic children’s show, Sesame Street have recently revealed that they are adding a new autistic character to the show.

Julia, a bright eyed, red haired muppet is the first character in the show’s history to have autism and she will be introduced to viewers during an episode set to air on April 10th.

Julia is described as being a “good singer” who “can always remember all the songs”, alongside being a stargazer that loves to “enjoy the magic of a starry night”.

The introduction of Julie is a conscious effort by the creators of Sesame Street to raise awareness and understanding amongst young children of what autism is. There are over 700,000 people in the United Kingdom that have been diagnosed with autism, a condition that can make communicating and socialising difficult.

While there’s already several popular TV shows that star autistic characters, this is one of the first examples of a children's TV show attempting to portray the condition.

The show’s creators have extensively researched the condition, ensuring they portray Julia in a way that is sensitive and informative. Julia’s puppeteer, Stacey Gordon is the mother of a child that has been diagnosed with autism so her insight will make Julia even more realistic.

It’s great that TV shows are now including a more diverse range of characters and actors, and in the long run it will only help increase our understanding of the different conditions and diseases that can affect us all.