Fancy Nancy, the Disney Junior series, will debut an autistic character just in time for as World Autism Awareness Day, which is observed on April 2nd.
In the upcoming episode, titled “Nancy’s New Friend,” the series focal point, Nancy, attempts to make a new friend in Lionel’s cousin, Sean. However, when Sean does not immediately warm up to Nancy, Lionel steps in to coach Nancy on how to better approach his cousin, and before long, the two begin to form a friendship.
“Nancy gets confused when Sean doesn’t respond to her in the way she expects,” co-producer/head writer, Krista Tucker explained to Deadline. “Lionel explains that Sean is autistic, and this means his brain works differently than others.”
“We hope this episode will help our viewers understand that there are sensitivities to be mindful of when engaging with someone who has autism. People with autism may act in ways we feel are different, and that’s okay—they’re just being who they are. In a world where so many children interact with kids who have autism, this kind of understanding creates compassion, tolerance, and friendship. Most importantly, it creates a world that is kind and accepting of all of us,” she went on to say.
The concept of the episode originated when series writer Matt Hoverman came across a video of 11-year-old George Yionoulis, who is autistic, and his mother. The two were explaining to his fourth-grade class what it’s like to live with autism. Hoverman was so inspired by the video that he enlisted Yionoulis to voice the character of Sean.
To ensure that they were presenting an increased level of authenticity to the episode, show creators consulted with Autism Speaks and RespectABILITY.
“My hope is that this episode of ‘Nancy’s New Friend’ will help children and their parents understand autism as a different way of being, rather than as something weird, or wrong or to be afraid of,” RespectABILITY’s Elaine Hall said.
Lisa Goring, Chief Strategic Initiatives and Innovation Officer For Autism Speaks, also expressed the importance of such characters on television.
“Characters like Sean show that all children are incredible in their own ways, and with the support of their community, each child can reach their full potential.”
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