Sesame Street has recently taken a massive step in terms of cultural awareness of autism by adding Julia, a character with autism, to its range of children’s characters. As of right now, Julia will only appear in print and audiobooks but ideally it won’t be too long before Julia begins making appearances on the broadcast version of the children’s educational show. The importance of this to the autism community cannot be emphasised enough.
The biggest benefit to the autism community of having a character like Julia, on a show as popular as Sesame Street, is the widespread exposure of ideas about autism that will be disseminated in an intelligent manner. This propagation of positive, but real, information should have long-lasting and far-reaching benefits in reducing stigma around autism. Social stigma has long been associated with all mental illness including autism and has a significantly negative impact on the lives of those living with mental illness and intellectual and developmental disorders. As those with autism are seen as different, and many individuals neither understand autism nor those with autism, they experience status loss and discrimination, according to researchers Bruce Link and Jo Phelan. This is certainly the case with autism, as many people are unaware of the truth of what actually encompasses autism.
According to the National Institute of Health, only 39% of people know there is no cure for autism, 27% believe it only affects children, 39% believe all people with autism have special [savant] abilities, and 90% do not know the prevalence. Clearly there is a disconnect between the actuality of autism and the public perception. The National Institute of Health also suggests that the more information people have about a mental illness, the less social stigma and discrimination they show towards it. Likewise, the more contact they have with individuals with mental illness, the less social stigma they display.
Ending social stigma towards those with autism may be the greatest accomplishment Sesame Street and Julia will accomplish. If the character is portrayed in a realistic and well-informed manner, the vast viewership will allow millions of adults and children to form better opinions of those with autism. The realistic rendering of Julia’s overall nature will show the challenges those with autism face in different aspects of life, likely with an emphasis in how Julia will socially interact, as Sesame Street has already hinted toward. As the information is carefully dispersed, audiences will not only obtain more information about autism but will also feel like they know Julia, as often happens to fans of television shows and the characters they adore. Both knowing more information about autism and knowing Julia on a personal level will tackle two of the major barriers to overcoming social stigma around autism and for allowing that to happen, Sesame Street should be celebrated.
Michael Scanlon, AEIOU Program Coordinator and Senior Behaviour Therapist.
Tags: Autism, Awareness, Social Stigma