Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Is Introducing A New Character With Autism

Photo: YouTube/PBS Kids /caption]

Max will be joined in the show by one of his favorite people, his big sister, Amira. Besides her, Max also loves numbers, bugs, and buses.

PBS released a clip of a new episode featuring Max. In the clip, you can see Daniel going up to Max and trying to play with him. Max doesn’t respond to Daniel, as he’s so absorbed in his buses. Confused, Daniel asks Teacher Harriet why Max won’t talk to him or talk about anything other than buses. Teacher Harriet explains that sometimes Max only wants to talk about one thing. Watch the clip below:

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In an interview with PEOPLE, the supervising producer at Fred Rogers Productions, Chris Loggins, says, “We’re so excited to introduce Max to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe and help even more kids feel represented and included on TV. It’s also important for young viewers to understand that some friends have different needs and may learn, play and communicate in their own ways.”

According to PEOPLE, the voice of Max is played by 13-year-old Israel Thomas-Bruce. Like Max, Israel also has autism and is ambitious, funny, and social. The producers felt it was critical to have Max played by a real-life person. Beyond having someone with ASD voice the character, they also worked with a doctor specializing in autism and the Autism Society to ensure their character with ASD was developed appropriately in accordance with real-life.

Photo: YouTube/PBS Kids