By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Sesame Workshop has released new educational resources for Autism Acceptance Month featuring licensed Sesame Street characters.
The resources were created as part of the Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children initiative which was founded in 2015 with the help of more than 250 organizations and experts within the autistic community.
The initiative aims to increase public awareness of autism and support families with free educational resources.
The new resources include videos, a digital storybook, and printable activity guides that are centered around Julia, a Muppet who is on the autism spectrum.
“We continue our commitment to autistic children and families by celebrating Autism Acceptance Month with new resources,” said Sesame Workshop SVP, Jeanette Betancourt. “We work to create a world where all children are appreciated for who they are. Through Julia and her Sesame friends, we demonstrate belonging to be more than simply being accepted. It is also being part of a community where each person is safe and valued.”
The video content includes two shorts called Princess Paint A Lot and Julia’s Needed.
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In Princess Paint A Lot, the characters Julia, Abby and Rosita create a story about a princess who loves to paint. In the Julia’s Needed video, Elmo and Rudy need Julia’s help and expertise to paint a rainbow.
The new digital storybook is called Julia and the Super-Sunny Celebration. The book is currently available in English, Spanish, Cantonese, and Mandarin.
The printable pages focus on creative expression by prompting children to create a self-portrait and insert themselves into scenes from Sesame Street storybooks.
In addition to the new resources, Sesame Workshop is expanding its Autism: See Amazing in All Children initiative through its themed entertainment partnerships. Throughout April 2023, both the Philadelphia and Florida-based Sesame Place theme parks will offer free educational storybooks and meet-and-greets with Sesame characters.
In the Turks and Caicos and Jamaica regions, Sesame Street will offer art activities and character meet-and-greets at three Beaches Resorts locations. Sesame Street Japan has created a special Japanese-language version of the We Belong song with the Midories childrens’ musical group. The song was performed live at the Autism Awareness Day lighting of the Tokyo Tower on April 2, 2023. Sesame Workshop is also continued its partnership with the Japanese national government and several Japanese advocacy organizations for the World Autism Awareness Day campaign.
In Bangladesh, Julia was featured in the fifteenth season of the childrens’ series Sisimpur. Sisimpur is a localized version of the Sesame Street franchise that is co-produced by Sesame Workshop and Nayantara Communications.
The Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children initiative is supported by American Greetings and The Jones/Davis family.
Sesame Workshop currently provides aid to children in over a hundred and fifty countries through media initiatives, education services, and philanthropically-funded social impact programs.
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