By now, you've probably heard about Julia, the newest character on Sesame Street. Julia's been a big deal lately, because she is the first character with autism on the show. When I first heard about this, I didn't know what to think. I was excited, but I didn't know if it would work, because this is something that I've dealt with for as long as I can remember. I don't let it affect me, and Julia thinks the same way.
The problem with autism in the media is there aren't too many portrayals of it. Sesame Street has done an excellent job raising serious issues most children's shows wouldn't even think of discussing, most notably death, 9/11 and HIV, among countless others. However, autism was never brought up, until now. Julia first made her debut last year in the digital storybook, We're Amazing, 1, 2, 3! The book is about how Julia, Abby Cadabby and Elmo are all amazing in their own ways.
Now, we see her TV debut. Julia loves to paint and play with her friends. Big Bird approaches her and asks to see her painting. Alan, the owner of Hooper's Store, tells him that sometimes she takes awhile to respond, and tells him to ask her again. Shortly after, Julia shows her painting to everyone. Big Bird attempts to give her a high five, but she doesn't high five him back.
Big Bird thinks that Julia doesn't like him, but Alan explains that she has autism. When Big Bird asks what autism is, Alan says, "For Julia, it means she might not answer you right away." I loved how he subtly mentioned how everyone with autism is different and that they don't all have the same issues.
In another scene, the friends all play with each other, until a loud siren blares. Sensitivity to loud noises is frequently associated with autism, and it's something that I could relate to since I had that issue when I was younger. I've grown more tolerant to loud noises now, but I was really affected by it when I was younger. I was really glad Sesame Street took note of that.
I was really impressed with Sesame Street's take on autism with Julia. I love how the show is trying to prove how everyone is amazing in their own way. I really hope this will prevent autism discrimination, which I faced as a child. I also hope that Julia will remain on the show as a recurring character, and not just for the one episode. As Autism Awareness Month comes to a close, I believe this intitiative is the exact purpose of AAM. Be aware of their behavior, and accept them and love them for who they really are.
