PACIFIC PALISADES, CA – JULY 15: The first autistic Sesame Street muppet Julia (L) accepts the … [+]
Sesame Workshop is expanding its Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children initiative with new resources featuring Julia, a 4-year-old Sesame Street Muppet with autism.
The new resources include new printables, coloring, activity sheets accompanying the animation, and Good Night routine cards to help children develop a healthy bedtime routine.
These various resources help families create new routines, build flexibility, and cope with change challenges during turbulent times.
Partnership with Exceptional Minds
Julia is a fictional character on the children’s television program Sesame Street, known for being … [+]
Created in 2015, the Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children initiative aims to increase public awareness of autism, foster greater empathy and understanding, and support families with free resources to help them navigate everyday moments and challenges.
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In continued partnership with Exceptional Minds, an academy and studio preparing young adults on the autism spectrum for careers in animation and beyond, Sesame Workshop is launching a new animated video featuring Julia as she learns how to handle her fear of the dark by drawing what she’s afraid of—helping her brother along the way. This video was written, produced, and animated by Exceptional Minds’ team of artists on the autism spectrum.
“The Exceptional Minds team of artists on the spectrum continue to showcase their writing, producing, and animation talents on our latest Sesame Workshop short, Backyard Camping. This project amplifies the workplace skills of our amazing artists while shining a light on autism inclusion. Unfortunately, 80% of adults with autism are unemployed or underemployed, but with Sesame Workshop’s continued partnership, we are changing that,” said David Siegel, Executive Director of Exceptional Minds.
Support for Autism and Diversity
To better serve the Chinese American autism community, Sesame Workshop is partnering with Friends of … [+]
See Amazing in All Children was developed in consultation with over 250 organizations and experts within the autism community. With 1 in 44 children diagnosed with autism, this initiative is designed to show that all children—autistic and neurotypical alike—are amazing in their ways.
On a related note, researchers at the Yale Child Study Center released a study earlier this year that showed that puppets could attract and hold children’s attention with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This insight raises the potential for developing more engaging therapies that strengthen social engagement and facilitate learning.
This study did not come as a surprise to Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Senior Vice President of US Social Impact at Sesame Workshop. “Keeping young viewers engaged and learning through the magic of Sesame Street Muppets has always been a key strategy in our See Amazing in All Children initiative,” she said. Through Julia and her entire Muppet family, we have the unique ability to model everyday moments and interactions from an autistic child’s perspective and provide tools and strategies to families. The study reaffirmed the potential of our work as well as our unique positioning to connect parents and caregivers with resources to help children with autism feel validated and build resilience.”
Sesame Workshop continues to expand the breadth of the See Amazing in All Children content library based on feedback from advisors and community members.
Better Serving The Chinese Autism Community
Sesame Workshop is expanding its Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children initiative … [+]
To better serve the Chinese American autism community, Sesame Workshop is partnering with Friends of Children with Special Needs (FCSN) to launch Mandarin and Cantonese adaptations of the We’re Amazing 1, 2, 3 digital storybooks featuring Elmo and Abby Cadabby learning different ways to play with Julia and help their friend feel safe and comfortable. In addition, two new articles written by FCSN will be available for families and providers on the unique challenges Chinese American children with autism face.
“Children with autism need to be understood and embraced by communities around the world. Friends of Children with Special Needs (FCSN) is honored to partner with Sesame to translate this important book about Julia, a child with autism, into Chinese languages,” said Anna Wang, Co-founder and Vice President of FCSN. “We hope that this will start to remove the cultural stigma associated with autistic children in the Chinese community and help make the world a more welcoming place for them.”
“Autistic children and their families are facing unprecedented challenges this year, and Sesame Workshop is here to help kids create healthy routines, develop self-regulation and calming strategies, and build resilience,” shared Dr. Betancourt. “We know the importance of collaborating with the autistic community as well as their families when creating new materials, which is why we teamed up with Exceptional Minds and Friends of Children with Special Needs to launch these new resources today.”
The Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children initiative is made possible by generous philanthropic support from American Greetings and Kristen Rohr and is part of Sesame Workshop’s mission to help all children grow smarter and stronger kinder.
