How PBS KIDS Characters Help My Family and Son With Autism

My son, Jake, was diagnosed with autism when he was 3, and when my daughter, Abby, was 18 months. And while Abby was too young to recognize Jake’s different needs when he was first diagnosed, as she grew, so did her awareness that her brother processed the world differently than others his age. Representation of a neurodiverse family is something that I crave as a parent of a child who is neurodivergent. I wanted my son to see himself reflected in the shows he loves.

Finding media that thoughtfully portrays characters with autism can be difficult. PBS KIDS is actively working to show an accurate representation of autism. Autism is a spectrum, meaning you can find various individuals whose symptoms are not the same — not one character can portray an individual's exact real life experience.

Discovering characters with autism on PBS KIDS has helped Jake and Abby feel like they’re not alone. Shows like “Sesame Street,” “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” and “Hero Elementary” have modeled different ways it looks to not only be a child on the spectrum — but to love someone who is, too. These shows have helped families like mine grow in empathy and compassion for themselves, and each other. And when Jake lights up when he sees himself represented in a growing number of characters in the shows he loves? It lights up my heart as a parent, too.

Here are a few characters with autism from PBS KIDS shows who have resonated with my family.

When Julia was introduced as a “Sesame Street” character, Abby was elated. Julia was the first character that represented ASD in the way that she knows it. Julia's autism is similar to that of her brother, Jake:

• Julia and Jake both love music. Listening to music and dancing is a way Jake connects with others.
• Julia and Jake are both limited verbal and their expressive language is delayed. They speak in short one to two word phrases.
• Julia and Jake both find closeness and friendship with animals — it can be difficult for some children on the spectrum to have relationships with peers.

My daughter was also able to explain her brother’s autism to her friends using Julia as an example. With Julia, she has something concrete that she can point to about what her brother is like, a specific example that her friends can see for themselves.

When a new character, Max, made his debut on “Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood,” my family watched the episode together. When I learned that Max was on the spectrum, I was eager to see how my children would respond to him.

Before Max — or his diagnosis — was introduced in the episode, Abby immediately noticed that he might have autism. His quiet nature and the way he covered his ears were a giveaway to her that he had a sound sensitivity due to sensory processing issues. In another story, Abby noticed that Max was in his own little world while he was playing the xylophone. “Mommy! Max’s autism is just like Jake’s because he isn’t looking or paying attention to his friends. But he is, Mommy! In his own way, he’s paying attention.” She knows that an autistic child may not have the appropriate communication skills, and she recognized that Max had a delay with his expressive language.

For me, I loved seeing Max’s older sister, Amira, advocate for him. It reminded me how Abby advocates for her brother with our friends and in public. I’m always concerned about how much attention we have to give to Jake, and how it impacts Abby’s emotional growth and her relationship with her brother long term. Seeing this loving sibling relationship on TV was comforting.

In “Hero Elementary,” AJ Gadgets is a main character in the show’s “Sparks’ Crew.” He’s also on the autism spectrum. For most of the episodes, his autism is just a part of who he is: a valuable member of the team, and a friend everyone cares about. That’s something our family can relate to.

AJ takes things literally, which is a characteristic of autism that some individuals have. Being so literal can cause you to miss the information that is trying to be relayed. When we watch “Hero Elementary” together as a family, I often use it as a tool to talk about communication. I will pause the show when AJ is taking something literally, and ask, how can what was said be interpreted in another way? It’s a little more work with my son, because he has expressive communication delays, but we enjoy having a TV character help us have this conversation.

All three of these shows demonstrate ways to be inclusive of children with ASD. Characters who are neurodiverse not only act as mirrors for kids on the spectrum, but also allow all children to see how other families are different and empathize. As a parent, watching these shows with my children has given me the language to talk through these differences to them. These characters and shows are incredible resources that can offer families of all types benefits that will last a lifetime.