Windsor sees Sesame Street character as good start to awareness but more needed

 

Windsor experts and parents are cautiously optimistic about Sesame Street’s introduction of Julia, a character who has autism and is being featured in an online storybook.

Sesame Street has been known for highlighting societal stigmatization through characters. It’s had a blind character, a breast-feeding mother, characters in wheelchairs and now Julia in We’re Amazing, 1, 2, 3.

Despite the excitement elsewhere around Julia, some Windsor residents who work with autistic children and parents say the character can’t possibly completely represent what it’s like to have autism.

Laura Leeming, a senior therapist at the Summit Centre for Preschool Children, said autism works on a spectrum.

When it comes to the character of Julia, she will only be able to act as one representation since every child with autism is different, said Leeming.

While some individuals with autism may exhibit more obvious signs of autism such as flapping their hands and having difficulty with speech, others may have fewer autism characteristics and be seen as “quirky” by others. As a result, these kids are especially targeted because they are seen as being defiant without reason.

Leeming said the only thing Sesame Street can do is make Julia true to wherever she is on the autism spectrum and hope the conversation will at least begin with Julia as a representation, not as the whole.

Also, she hopes the public will look at Julia’s character as a stepping stone into further educating themselves about autism and what it means.

But Leeming is still concerned about the potential that this may cause autism to be stereotyped.

“It’s a big shoe to fill because it can go very stereotypical with it especially because some of the behaviours that the kids exhibit will be challenging to duplicate without coming across as making fun of,” said Leeming. “So it’s going to be interesting to see if they do make her an active character on the show, how that’s going to be portrayed.”

Across Windsor-Essex County, a strong bond has developed between the families who have children with autism. As a result, according to Leeming, parents have already begun talking about Julia during meetings held at the Summit Centre.
Margaret Rose Cotter is excited for the introduction of Julia.

Cotter has a six-year-old daughter with autism and who, according to Cotter, has been bullied a few times by her peers. Cotter’s hope is that Julia will help kids better understand her daughter Sydney.

Cotter also said with the introduction of this character, her daughter will have someone she can identify with a lot better in the shows she watches.

“This way, my daughter won’t feel like she’s alone,” said Cotter. “She watches all these shows, like Max and Ruby and Sesame Street and all these other fun shows so she can identify more with a child with autism on a show then with the other children.”

The online storybook is available now for parents and children to read. There’s only one story right now but more should soon be on their way.