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UNC Professor Helps Bring ‘Sesame Street’ Puppet With Autism To Life

WUNC | By Laura Pellicer,

Frank Stasio

Published April 14, 2017 at 12:00 PM EDT

The puppet in the middle of the photo, "Julia", is a new 'Sesame Street' character designed to teach children about autism.

For nearly five decades “Sesame Street” has used playful characters to teach kids about tough subjects. In recent years the show has addressed parental incarceration and divorce. This week the TV show introduced a new puppet with her own distinct challenges. Julia, who is on the autistic spectrum, does not communicate in a predictable way and struggles with sensory overload.Laura Klinger, associate professor in the department of psychiatry in the UNC School of Medicine and the executive director of the TEACCH Autism Program, talks about her role in creating a new puppet for “Sesame Street”.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Laura Klinger, an associate professor in the department of psychiatry in the UNC School of Medicine and the executive director of the TEACCH Autism Program. She helped advise “Sesame Street” on the creation of the new puppet.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKCdV20zLMs

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Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio

Laura Pellicer

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.

See stories by Laura Pellicer

Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

See stories by Frank Stasio