There’s a new friend in the neighborhood and her name is Julia. Sesame Street is welcoming a new Muppet as part of a new initiative to teach children about autism and help both children and parents understand more about the disorder.
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Julia is part of Sesame’s Workshop’s new digital initiative, “Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children,” which includes an iPad app and various online resources for parents with children who have autism. Julia is in preschool and she has autism, so she does things a little different while playing with her friends, Elmo, Abby Cadabby and Grover.
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“She has some behaviors like not looking at you directly in the eye, she’s a little more sensitive to noises and lights, but when she comes together with Abby and Elmo, she shares not only these challenges, but also what she shares in common,” explains Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Senior Vice President of U.S. Social Impact at Sesame Workshop, whom she told ABC News.
The initiative’s website was designed with children in mind, featuring larger buttons, audio-off options, and the ability for children to customize content. For now, Julia is only part of Sesame’s digital resources, so she’s not on television yet.
“Sesame Workshop is uniquely positioned to play a meaningful role in increasing people’s understanding about autism,” said Sherrie Westin, Executive Vice President of Global Impact and Philanthropy at Sesame Workshop. “This project is an extension of the belief we’ve always promoted: we are different, but all the same.”