autism on Sesame Street

An autistic girl is the new face on Sesamstreet.

Julia, a girl with autism, is the new hero that will be introduced to the most popular children's program.

The producers state that, having Julia come in the program, they want to reduce the stigma that goes with autism. Julia's character with red hair and green eyes exists already in the printed and electronic version of Sesame Street as part of the initiative which is called Sesame Street and Autism. 

Jeanette Betancourt, the vice president of the Sesame Workshop, emphasises that in the United States one out of 68 children have been diagnosed with a disorder at the autism spectrum. "We wanted to promote a better understanding and reduce the stigma that exists around those children", she underlined. "As we see all children as unique, we should do the same looking at autistic cihildren", she added. 

Sesame Street started in 1969 and has a number of famous characters like Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Elma and Cookie Monster. Julia wil make her first appearance on Sesame Street in the episode which will be shown on 10 April in the United States of America. 

Source: Telegraph