Sesame Street has often experimented with new ways of teaching children about social issues as well as their ABCs since its launch nearly 50 years ago. Now it’s taking on a new challenge: autism.

The groundbreaking public television children’s program is introducing a new character, a muppet named Julia who has autism, the show’s creators revealed on the CBS News show “60 Minutes” broadcast on Sunday.

Diagnoses of autism have risen steadily in recent years to the rate of one in every 68 US children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But tackling the topic for children was far from straightforward.

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