On April 10, 2017, the world was introduced to Julia, a muppet with autism, for the first time on Sesame Street. You can watch her first appearance on the show below. One quote that stood out to me is at the end when Big Bird says, “We all have those special things that make us who we are.”
What are your thoughts on her portrayal? As someone who has consulted on several films to bring a realistic portrayal of autism to our entertainment industry I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. The portrayal was very well done in my opinion and I’m curious to see how the character will evolve in future episodes. With April being World Autism Month I hope this video will be shared in our communities especially with families who have younger children to introduce them to some challenges that a child with autism may face.
Personally, I’d love to see an adult muppet with autism on this show as well because the popular image of autism is usually focused on children.
Know of someone looking for an autism/disability consultant? We’ve worked on films such as Joyful Noise (Queen Latifah) and Jane Wants a Boyfriend (Eliza Dushku) that both featured characters who have autism. Contact us here for more details.
