A new muppet is joining Sesame Street’s ranks. Her name is Julia, and she has autism.

Last week, researchers at Johns Hopkins released a study that analyzed the relationship between levels of folate and vitamin B12 in a mother’s system and their children’s risk of autism. The study found that women with heightened levels of both folate and vitamin B12 were 17.6 times more likely to have children…

Say you used to have a job at a large and well-respected nonprofit, one that advocates for people with a poorly-understood disorder. Then, some time later, you find yourself working for Donald Trump, a glistening, shouting gristle mass with a history of saying terrible and stupid things. Does that create some awkward…

Robert De Niro appeared on The Today Show Wednesday to make it crystal clear that he personally supported the inclusion of anti-vaccination film Vaxxed in the Tribeca Film Festival. A Facebook photo posted yesterday shows that he also met recently with a group of people well-known in anti-vaccination circles,…

Robert De Niro appeared Wednesday morning on The Today Show to talk about the Tribeca Film Festival, and to defend himself for personally lobbying for the inclusion of an anti-vaccination movie. The film, Vaxxed, was pulled from the schedule after an enormous shitstorm; De Niro said today he still wants to know “the…

Actor Robert De Niro, who cofounded the Tribeca Film Festival, has released a statement about the anti-vaccination film by former doctor Andrew Wakefield. Vaxxed is set to screen during the festival, and DeNiro’s statement suggests that he personally supports its inclusion.

This year’s Tribeca Film Festival will include a screening of a film by Andrew Wakefield, the former doctor who was stripped of his medical license after authoring a discredited study that implied a link between vaccines and autism. A spokesperson for the film tells Jezebel that there will be “celebrity support” for…

On October 28, 2015, 13-year-old Jessica Pelligrini began choking on an apple during lunch. The emergency could have turned fatal had fellow classmate Brandon Williams, also 13, not rushed to her side and successfully performed the Heimlich Maneuver. Marveling at Brandons’s heroism, his father Anthony Williams asked…

Sesame Street Workshop has added a new, autistic muppet named Julia to the gang. Julia’s addition is part of a program launched Wednesday morning called “Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children,” that features routine cards, videos, and further resources for family and friends of an autistic child.

There are two things that non-profit group Safe Minds—committed to “ending the autism epidemic”—doesn’t understand: First, that there is absolutely no link between vaccines and autism. Second, how research works.

A United flight to Portland made an emergency landing last week after the flight crew determined that an autistic passenger on board was too disruptive. Flight attendants had calmed her, but the flight was nonetheless diverted to Salt Lake City, where the teen and her family were removed from the plane.