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"Sesame Street" welcomes new character with autism with open arms By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 03.22.17 Word Count 718 Julia, a Muppet character who is autistic, will debut on April 10, 2017, on "Sesame Street." NEW YORK, N.Y. — The people and Muppets on "Sesame Street" have a way of making everyone feel welcome. That certainly goes for Julia, a Muppet with red hair, bright green eyes and autism. Julia is one of the gang. She is not treated like an outsider, which too often is the case for kids on the autism spectrum. Autism is a condition that can make it hard to communicate with other people. People with autism have a range of challenges. Each person with autism also has his or her own talents and strengths, though. On this friendly street, Julia is about to play a game with Oscar, Abby and Grover. In this scene, the Muppet friends have been challenged to spot objects shaped like squares, circles or triangles. "You're lucky," says Abby to Grover. "You have Julia on your team, and she is really good at finding shapes!" This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Then they take off. Helping People Understand Autism For more than a year, Julia has been in drawings as the center of a plan by Sesame Workshop called "Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children." Julia has been the subject of a book released with videos, e-books, an app and website. The goal is to help people understand autism. Now Julia has been brought to life. She makes her TV debut on "Sesame Street" in the "Meet Julia" show airing April 10 on PBS and HBO. More videos featuring Julia will be offered online. Bringing Julia to life took years of working with experts and families in the autism community, says Jeanette Betancourt. She works for Sesame Workshop and was a leader in the effort. All Children Are Unique, Including Those With Autism "In the U.S., 1 in 68 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder," she says. The show wanted to help kids have a better understanding of these children, she says. She thinks one way to do this is to show the things all children share. Julia represents the full range of children with the condition, but she isn't meant to fully show each of them. "Just as we look at all children as being unique, we should do the same thing when we're looking at children with autism," Betancourt says. Stacey Gordon performs the part of Julia. She was excited when she first learned about Julia more than a year ago. "I said, 'If she's ever a puppet, I want to BE Julia!'" No wonder. Gordon is a puppeteer who performs, holds classes and workshops, and sells her own puppets. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona. She also has a son with autism. She used to work with children who have autism. Julia Was A Dream Part For Gordon Although she thought her chances of landing the dream part of Julia were small, her friends in the puppet world helped out. Two friends who worked as Muppeteers on "Sesame Street" gave her name to the producers. After coming to New York City to try out, she was hired. In the show, Julia is having fun with Abby and Elmo when Big Bird walks up. He wants to be her friend, but Julia doesn't speak to him. He thinks she doesn't like him. "She does things just a little differently, in a Julia sort of way," Abby tells him. Julia, laughing, then shows the other Muppets a way of playing tag, and everyone joins in. When a siren wails, though, she covers her ears and looks scared. "She needs to take a break," Big Bird's human friend Alan explains. Soon, all is well and they play again. Representing The Autism Community This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. The show is "something that I wish my son's friends had been able to see when they were small," says Gordon. "I remember him having meltdowns and his classmates not understanding how to react." Gordon says her son, now 13 years old, isn't drawn to puppetry. "He's more interested in math and science, and plays the piano brilliantly," she says. She's having a blast being part of the show. She says "Sesame Street" helped interest her, as a child, in puppeteering. "It is so much fun to be on set with everyone," Gordon says. She treats the role with respect, she says. "I don't want to let the autism community down." This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Quiz 1 Select the excerpt from the article that BEST explains why "Sesame Street" created Julia. (A) For more than a year, Julia has been in drawings as the center of a plan by Sesame Workshop called "Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children." (B) "In the U.S., 1 in 68 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder," she says. The show wanted to help kids have a better understanding of these children, she says. (C) Stacey Gordon performs the part of Julia. She was excited when she first learned about Julia more than a year ago. "I said, 'If she's ever a puppet, I want to BE Julia!'" (D) "It is so much fun to be on set with everyone," Gordon says. She treats the role with respect, she says. "I don't want to let the autism community down." 2 Read the paragraph from the section "All Children Are Unique, Including Those With Autism." Julia represents the full range of children with the condition, but she isn't meant to fully show each of them. "Just as we look at all children as being unique, we should do the same thing when we're looking at children with autism," Betancourt says. Which of the following, if it replaced the word "unique" above, would MOST CHANGE the meaning of the sentence? (A) special (B) different (C) related (D) one-of-a-kind 3 Read the selection from the section "Representing The Autism Community." Gordon says her son, now 13 years old, isn't drawn to puppetry. "He's more interested in math and science, and plays the piano brilliantly," she says. Which answer choice BEST explains what Gordon means by the phrase "plays the piano brilliantly"? (A) Her son is very intelligent. (B) Her son dislikes playing piano. (C) Her son plays the piano very well. (D) Her son only enjoys playing the piano. 4 Based on information in the article, which of these statements is TRUE? (A) The puppeteer hired to play Julia is especially happy to play the role because she has a son with autism. (B) The puppeteer hired to play Julia is especially happy to play the role because she works with children who have autism. (C) "Sesame Street" creators worked with the puppeteer to create a realistic character with autism. (D) "Sesame Street" creators are testing Julia's character on the show before creating books and videos about her. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com..

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