I Immediately Liked Julia, Sesame Street's New Character. Here's Why

Julia, a muppet with autism, will join the cast of
"Sesame Street" on April 10. Welcome, Julia!

Ever since I can remember, I knew I was a little lot different.

When I was three, four, five years ago, I didn't understand it. What kid at that age would?

As I got older, I understood why I was different. I'm gay and have ADHD. 

None of that is really a problem. Only an ignoramous would care, or criticize me for being gay. Having ADHD is just a part of me. It's both a strength and a weakness, or maybe neither.  It's just there.

Everybody is different, but if you're too different, that could be a problem. At least for a few people.

Little kids -toddlers, the pre-school crowd, - really aren't worried at all about who's different and why.

As kids get older, they learn from adults, some of whom aren't as emotionally intelligent as young children. Some  people "learn" that gay people are perverts. People with ADHD are lazy, undisciplined, selfish, say some people. They're wrong of course, but you  have to deal with them.

However, everybody who's different and has watched "Sesame Street" gets an early education on why it's important to celebrate our differences, and see them as strengths, as long as you're strong enough to understand that as you get older.

A few people will not like you as you get older if you are "different."  But Sesame Street gives you the foundation to resist that.

Even at my advanced age - 54 - the welcoming, inclusive vibe of Sesame Street, which I watched religiously as a little kid, helps me out. In my weak, low self-confident moments, I  remember that friendly, gentle cast of characters, both humans and muppets, and my mental balance rights itself.

All this is why I love the fact that "Sesame Street" is introducing a new muppet, a little four year old girl named Julia.

Julia is a bright girl with, autism. Any youngster who has questions about why Julia is like she is, thinks like she does, is because she is indeed different.

Different here doesn't mean bad, or lesser, or weak.

Here's how NPR describes Julia:

"She's a shy and winsome four-year-old, with striking red hair and green eyes. Julia likes to paint and pick flowers. When Julia speaks, she often echoes what she's just heard her friends Abby and Elmo say..

It can be hard to get Julia's attention. Big Bird has to repeat himself to get her to listen, for example. And she sees things where other's don't. 'That's just Julia being Julia,' Abby said."

Julia began last year as a character in Sesame's books and digital offerings, NPR said. She was part of a campaign called "See Amazing In All Children,'" which gives children with autism and their families Julia - somebody to identify with. Julia also helps people without autism to understand people who do have it.

More from NPR:

"Sherrie Westin, an executive vice-president at Sesame Workshop who oversaw the initiative, said the campaign quickly struck a chord.

'One of my favorite stories is a mother who said that she used the book to explain to her child that she had autism like Julia,' Westin said, shaking her head slightly as she teared up. 'this became the tool for her to have a conversation with her five-year-old daughter.

And you'll love this: At the end her daughter said, 'So I'm amazing too, right''"

You betcha!

It's so nice to see the cast of Sesame Street grow like this. We're all different and not enough people celebrate that fact.

Maybe it's time for me to start watching the show again. Hell, the way things are going these days, maybe everybody should be watching "Sesame Street."

It might do us all good. 

Autistic Girl Wowing Us With Her Rendition Of "Hallelujah"

Kaylee Rodgers, who has autism and ADHD
gives an incredible performance of "Hallelujah"
in a viral video. 

Social media and YouTube is hot with yet another viral version of the Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah" and it's a good one.  

It's done by a 10 year old girl at the Killard House School in Donaghadee, Northern Island.

On the face of it, she does an awesome job, by any standard. You can watch the video at the bottom of this post.

What's really amazing is the girl, Kaylee Rodgers, has autism and ADHD.

I have ADHD and can barely get my act together. Throw autism on top of that and you get a performance like this? Incredible!

According to the BBC, music teach Lloyd Scates spotted Kaylee's talent and convinced her to sing solos. She was extremely shy and quiet when she first arrived at the school, and the singing is developing her voice and confidence.

"She always loved singing, but it wasn't until she started at Killard House School that she really came into her own," said Kaylee's mom, who gave loads of credit to Scates. "He's like her safety blanket. He's amazing."

So is Kaylee. Give her a listen and hear for yourself:

Three Cheers For Two Men Lying Down On The Job

Barber James Williams successful cuts
young Mason's hair at a barber shop in Wales.
Mason has autism, and he's most comfortable on the floor. 

Lying down on the job is pretty much discouraged everywhere.

But I found two recently examples where people have done this, and they deserve a raise.

The first guy lying down on the job is one James Williams of the Jim the Trim Barber Shop in Briton Ferry, Wales.

Last month, a youngster with autism named Mason came in to get a haircut.

Haircuts can be difficult for some kids with autism.  

Williams said the boy has come into the shop in the past, and the kid would get very uncomfortable, especially when Williams tried to cut hair near Mason's ears.

Williams also noticed Mason seemed more comfortable on the floor. The barber figured if you can't beat him, join him.

So the haircut got done there, and worked beautifully. Mason was so pleased he gave Williams a hug - which is a rare move for Mason, said his parents, according to Huffington Post.

Too bad I don't live anywhere near Wales. I'd get Williams to cut my hair any time. And I wouldn't even make him get down on the floor to do it.

The second case, according to People magazine came in the form of a mall Santa.

Erin Deely says her son, Brayden has autism, and thusly not good at crowds, noise and pressure, such as people urging him to smile, goddammit.

But there's an organization call Caring Santa, which trains Santas and sets up quiet, controlled areas where kids with autism can tell Santa they've been good boys and girls and what they want for Christmas.

When Brayden arrived at SouthPark mall in Charlotte, North Carolina, Santa just got down on the floor and started playing with the toys on the floor with Brayden.

The result was the adorable picture you see in this post of the kid and Santa at the mall.

I don't know if Santa gets Christmas gifts, but this one surely won't get any coal in his stocking.


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Update: Xena The Warrior Puppy Wins Top ASPCA Award

A big shout out and congratulations to Xena the Warrior Puppy for winning this year's ASPCA dog of the year award.

Xena the Warrior Puppy and BFF Jonny
hang out together recently. 

I wrote about Xena in early May in this here blog thingy, several months after she'd been rescued, at death's door, having been horribly abused and starved. When she was found, nobody thought she'd survive overnight.

But she miraculously rallied, and eventually her rescuers were ready to have Xena go to a good home. Xena went to a fundraiser where the young dog bonded immediately with a kid name Jonny Hickey who was 8 at the time.

Jonny has autism and rarely communicated with anyone. But Xena brought Jonny out of his shell and the boy is now an outgoing, friendly young man, thanks to Xena's love and companionship.

When I wrote about the situation in early May, I mused about who rescues whom when a dog is pulled from a situation of neglect or need and put into a loving home.  As in the case of Xena, the rescued one becomes the rescuer.

About a week after I wrote that column, our Bailey the Wonder Dog, who we had taken into our home a year earlier,  got sick.  By the end of the month, Bailey had passed away.

Xena the Warrior Puppy looking
happy at the ASPCA Dog Of The
Year ceremony earlier this month.  

I deeply mourned the loss of Bailey, of course. But even in death, he taught me a lesson. Love what's in your life now, because it won't last forever. And embrace everything you can.

Which seems to be what Xena the Warrior Puppy has been up to. She's been damn busy.

In addition to being Jonny's partner in crime, Xena has been visiting a 12-year old girl with cancer in an Atlanta area hospital to cheer her up and cheer her on, according to the Today Show.

Xena has also been visiting a prison where inmates train homeless dogs in a program called Canine CellMates.   Xena has been helping make sure that program runs smoothly.

Xena The Warrior Puppy has also been helping Jonny's mom, Linda, call attention to the importance of rescuing dogs in need and promoting autism awareness.

Xena has been keeping the world up to date on her work through her Facebook page and at her web site, www.xenathewarriorpuppy.com 

A shout out should also go to Koshka, the ASPCA's Cat of the Year. Staff Sgt. Jesse Knott rescued Koshka while serving in Afghanistan, and Koshka returned the favor by helping Knott get through his darkest days after two of his closest friends were killed in a suicide attack.

Koshka now lives happily with Knott and the rest of his family in Oregon.

Incredibly Offensive Letter To Mom With Autistic Kid Proves Trolls Are Incredibly Stupid, Too

There's nothing worse out there than mean and dumb.

You know the type. The idiot who spouts off to anyone, angrily about some ill-conceived complaint they have. And said complaint is based on extreme stupidity. They have no idea what they're talking about. The combination makes these mean and dumb types the butt of everyone's jokes.

And it makes their already horrible lives worse.

Enter the moron in Newcastle, Ontario who left an incredibly awful note to the mother of an autistic boy in which the moron tells the mom she's incredibly selfish to allow the boy in the neighborhood to make noises.

From Buzzfeed, the incredibly
offensive note to a mom whose kid'
has autism.  

The letter writer says everyone in the neighborhood hates the kid and urges the mom to euthanize the kid, I guess to somehow make the moron's life better.

Of course, that's not going to happen.

The neighborhood where this autistic kid hangs out is indeed up in arms, but not over the 13 year old boy, named Max. The residents are fine with Max. They are, predictably and admirably, not fine with the letter writer.

They're trying to figure out who wrote it, so that Max's mom, Karla Begley, can press charges if there is a legal basis to do so.

Or if criminal charges are inappropriate, we can at least find out who the twit of a letter writer was, so he or she can be publicly shamed far and wide.

Somebody will figure out that person's identity, I'm sure.  And the moronic troll can suffer the consequences of worldwide derision, thereby making his or her life more miserable than it already is.

Which is precisely the only thing trolls are good at.