--- title: Sesame Street Debuts First Autistic Character description: 'Our goal is to bring forth what all children share in common, not their differences' canonical: https://time.com/4082185/sesame-street-first-autistic-character/ author: Samantha Grossman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-21T21:25:58.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:39:36.242Z og:title: 'Sesame Street' Debuts Its First Character With Autism og:description: 'Our goal is to bring forth what all children share in common, not their differences' og:url: https://time.com/4082185/sesame-street-first-autistic-character/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6a977bde19a1bb23/69885f2a0b72e353f86e55ec/gettyimages-145485107.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2979 og:image:height: 1676 og:image:alt: Muppets Sesame Street og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'Sesame Street' Debuts Its First Character With Autism twitter:description: 'Our goal is to bring forth what all children share in common, not their differences' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6a977bde19a1bb23/69885f2a0b72e353f86e55ec/gettyimages-145485107.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # _Sesame Street_ Debuts Its First Autistic Character > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8dcac723-0c3d-49ea-94a3-ccb8f51912e6&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 'Sesame Street' Adds Julia, Its First Character With Autism [Watch (HLS stream): 'Sesame Street' Adds Julia, Its First Character With Autism](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/zS2j7RAe.m3u8) (1:24)  _Published 2015-10-22. Julia is a part of the "Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children" campaign aimed at changing stigmas about autism._ by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Oct 21, 2015 9:25 PM UTC by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Oct 21, 2015 9:25 PM UTC _Sesame Street_ is hoping to help destigmatize autism by introducing its first autistic muppet, Julia. She’s part of a new initiative called “[Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children](http://autism.sesamestreet.org/),” _People_ [reports](http://www.people.com/article/sesame-street-introduces-autistic-muppet). > [](https://twitter.com/people/status/656834839765766144) The initiative includes a free app that uses storybooks, video and other visual media to assist autistic children and their families with daily tasks. “Families with autistic children tend to gravitate toward digital content, which is why we created Julia digitally,” executive vice president of global impacts and philanthropy, Sherrie Westin, [told](http://mashable.com/2015/10/21/sesame-street-autistic-muppet/#pde90jYTcPqt) _People_. “We want parents and children to understand that autism isn’t an uncomfortable topic.” In the storybooks, Julia explains to her friends how she plays a little differently. “If you’re five years old, and see another kid not making eye contact with you, you may think that child doesn’t want to play with you. But that’s not the case,” says Westin. “We want to create greater awareness and empathy.” Ultimately, the goal is to destigmatize autism, reduce bullying, and show that autistic kids aren’t really all that different. “Our goal is to bring forth what all children share in common, not their differences,” says senior vice president of U.S. social impact, Dr. Jeanette Betancourt. “Children with autism share in the joy of playing and loving and being friends and being part of a group.” _Read next:_ [_It’s Not Easy Making Green: Why the Sesame Street Deal Hurts Parents More Than Kids_](http://time.com/3997903/sesame-street-hbo-inequality/) ## Transcript That's what makes us wonderful. We're different as can be. But in some real important ways we're still the same you see. For 45 seasons and counting sesame street has been an integral part of teaching little Little kids about the world around them, and that's continuing with the addition of Sesame Workshop's newest member, Julia, the first character with autism. Julia was part of the Sesame Street and Autism See Amazing in All Children rollout. The campaign aims to break the stigma of autism and help kids find common ground despite the potential barriers in communication. Jeanette Betancourt, Senior Vice President of Community and Family Engagement at Sesame Workshop told People children with autism are five times more likely to get bullied. And with one in 68 children having autism, that's a lot of bullying. Our goal is to bring forth what all children share in common, not their differences. Autism Spectrum Disorder affects brain development in children, mostly causing difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication throughout their lives. Boys are up to five times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with autism. Sesame Street has used its furry friends to tackle tough issues before. In 2002, the show added Kami, who was HIV positive. Give me a hug. 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