This Week on Sesame Street: Inclusion
Last month, Sesame Street announced that they would be adding a new character to their show, a muppet named Julia. The only thing different about her from other characters? She has autism. First appearing in a Sesame Street book, Julia's popularity rose quickly, sparking the idea of making her a regular to the children's show. A sneak peek of her arrival to Sesame Street can be seen below:
Digital natives are growing up surrounded by screens, from phone screens, to tablets, and televisions, its hard to limit what they view from a young age with digital technology in abundance. It's no doubt that children are influenced by what they see, physically or through a screen, but what if what they saw would benefit them in the long run? "Television programming can be considered a source of informal education and enrichment" (Mares & Pan, 2013). The addition of Julia to Sesame Street will do just that by introducing children at home to Autism Spectrum Disorder, something that many of them may not be familiar with. By including a character with Autism, children will gain perspective and learn about others who are different from them, but also how they are similar. Through how the other muppets act towards Julia and how she is treated, other children will know how to respect the needs of someone with Autism. Media influences "empower children to apply what they've learned to real-life" (Kirkorian, Wartella & Anderson, 2008), seeing the muppets treat Julia just as they would treat any other friend, will show children that, despite their differences, they are just like everyone else.
Free from Wix (2017)
The introduction of Julia will also provide children with Autism with a character representation in media, something that is not very common in television. As the writer of Sesame Street states in the video above, depicting Autism is a difficult task, especially when everyone experiences it differently. Starting with the introduction of Julia to Sesame Street will be a step in the right direction to Autism awareness.
For more Sesame Street resources about Autism, click here!
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References:
Kirkorian, H. L., Wartella, E. A., & Anderson, D. R. (2008). Media and Young Children's Learning. The Future of Children, 18(1), 39-61. doi:10.1353/foc.0.0002
Mares, M., & Pan, Z. (2013). Effects of Sesame Street: A meta-analysis of children's learning in 15 countries. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 34(3), 140-151. doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2013.01.001
