Sesame Street made history Wednesday by announcing their new nationwide initiative Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children. The face of the initiative is Julia, the first autistic Muppet.
The Senior Vice President of U.S. Social Impact Dr. Jeanette Betancourt helped develop the project and told PEOPLE that children with autism are five times more likely to get bullied: "When we explain from a child's point of view that there are certain behaviors... it helps younger children to understand how to interact with their autistic peers. It makes children more comfortable and therefor more inclusive."
Julia is a digital character that will be included in storybooks with other Sesame Street characters like Elmo and Abby, NBC reports. She will be portrayed as a character who "does things a little differently" when playing with her friends.
"We want parents and children to understand that autism isn't an uncomfortable topic... We want to create greater awareness and empathy."
I think it is great that autistic kids are considered for characters because you never really see them on television shows or anything that gets as much publicity as models or "normal" cartoon characters get.
What do you think?
xoxo, Kaila
I think that is a great idea - people who are introduced to a variety of interaction styles are so much less likely to be cruel to others.
ReplyDeleteThis is so good, I love the fact that children are going to be exposed to more real events and people that are actually in this world. Such a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI know! These kids need to see what's out there in the world and understand that everyone is different!
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