Autism Soccer: Autism Awareness on Sesame Street

The birth of Julia is a sign of acceptance towards autism children, showing that the only difference between being autistic or not, is having the condition. It's not something to be discouraged about.

For weeks, I’ve been following a story on an autism-related blog that was talking about the implementation of a new muppet on Sesame Street; the famous educational TV program that’s been on air since 1969. The name of this beautiful new muppet is Julia, a 4 year-old girl with orange hair and a toy rabbit called Fluffster. What’s so special about Julia? You might say that everything about her is special since she’s an Autistic Muppet.

Julia was introduced at first as a part of an Autism Initiative for Sesame Street. All her characteristics and personality were created by Leslie Kimmelman; the creator of We’re Amazing, 1, 2, 3!, a digital storybook were Julia made her first appearance as a part of Sesame Street muppets. The acting will be performed by Stacey Gordon, who also based all of her personal experiences into the character as she is the mother a child with high-functioning autism. The physical muppet came to happen because of the impact Julia had in giving awareness for children with autism.

Sesame Street has been on air for more than forty (40) years now, and the inclusion of this new character is a strong message for the world to see how important this matter actually is. Children with autism have a really hard time through their early years and they need a lot of help and guide in order to communicate and express their emotions. This new muppet is a message for people to open their minds and see into the world of autism through Julia’s eyes.

It’s very comforting to see that there are people out there doing their best to bring awareness related to neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, not as a way to earn something in return, but to show how much they care for children in need.

Julia will appear in the TV show for the first time this April 10th, make sure you don’t miss it. In the meantime, why not putting your child to play some sports? Autism Soccer is always looking for children to support and help with their staff of professionals, ready to help you out in this road of being a special parent.