Sesame Street Introduces Autistic Character

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http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... ith-autism

I thought this was very cool. I'm looking forward to seeing her premier episode

I can't wait to see it either!

But Autism Speaks helped create the character is anyone not bothered by this?

I love Sesame Street me.

It's actually one of the few television programs that I could watch both as a child and as an adult.

It is a very inclusive program, so well done Sesame Street.

I think it's great

I also think that it's great that all the major online news networks picked the topic up about Sesame Street doing this.

I read that they worked with Asan too, so at least it wasn't just autism speaks.

What I don't like about it is pretty much everywhere is saying with autism rather autistic. But apart from that it seems okay.

awesome in theory. I won't be convinced it's actually a good thing until I see it though. at least it does seem like they are approaching it thoughtfully.

I approve of character design.

It is a great thing for Sesame Street to do. At least they won't spend 59 minutes out of 60 on Elmo anymore. Julia should get a lot more attention.

Is Autistic preferred by most? When I was in college (I studied School Psychology before realizing I was misdiagnosed as a child), I was told that you should never say someone is Autistic, that you should always say they are a person with Autism because it emphasized the person. At the time I thought that was a rather complicated way of saying the same thing but took the professor at her word (she was and still is considered an expert on Autism), but when I saw your post I thought....hmmmm..... I always preferred the more direct way of saying it....maybe others on the spectrum do too... So which is it?

That's how I think of it too. Along the same lines of: I'm not a brunette, I'm a person with brown hair.

I don't mind how others identify themselves, though. I am fine with other people identifying themselves whatever way feels comfortable to them.

Most autistic people prefer autistic, whereas most non autistic people seem to prefer with autism. I think autistic is preferred as autism effects every single little thing about everything and that it doesn't need to be separated from a person, whereas with autism separates the autism from someone and makes it seem like it shouldn't be there and that it is unwanted or should be gotten rid of.

Often autistic people don't tend to mind too much if people prefer to use with autism, but don't like it when non autistics insist it should be with autism, as the autistic should have the choice to which they prefer.

OMG thank you! My toddler thinks he's hilarious. He didn't exist when I was a child. We had Big Bird, who has a similar intellect.

Is this character not going to be an actual puppet muppet? Has anyone read anything about that? I find the animated muppets disturbing, and the lack of repetitious number and letters worrisome. I often think the plotlines are targeted at me instead of my son. Cookie Monster Sons of Anarchy and whatnot. I've noticed that my son likes the classic Sesame Street from the 70s and 80s more than the current ones. I guess because they're targeted to actual little kids.

Cookie Monster is already autistic.

Kinda superfluous to add a specific one when you already have one that no one realized had it.

Sesame Street isn't shown in the UK. But I'm very thrilled for any kids show to feature autism in an inclusive way.
(Although personally I am coming around fast at 36 to the idea that all the other chimps in the human race who aren't aspergers are something to be avoided. There's always poison waiting under the surface.)

That minor caveat I am thrilled to see our neanderthal cousins being willing to have a token autistic on their show. Hopefully it won't be just a token. I think they look very cute, lovely character design.

Thanks for explaining that!!