Julia is a Muppet with autism who made her debut on Sesame Street in April 2017, and has already made quite an impact! A recent article by Today describes how Julia inspired a child to befriend a boy with autism. On the show, Julia often engages in behaviors such as spinning or flapping her hands. Four-year-old Julian also has autism and shares these behaviors, which sometimes can be off-putting to children not familiar with autism. However, a little girl who watched Sesame Street recognized these behaviors in Julian and invited him to play with her—a great reminder that, as Julian’s parent mentions, “representation matters”! To read the full Today article, click here and to learn about Dr. Wendy Stone’s work with Sesame Street to help develop Julia and their autism initiative, click here!