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In an attempt to help “more children to see themselves represented in Barbie,” toy creator Mattel Inc. is releasing their first-ever autistic Barbie doll.
The doll was created with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN). Noor Pervez, the non-profit’s community engagement manager, said they aimed to help autistic children see themselves, and also deliver a message to non-autistic people.
“We want people to kind of get an early reinforcer,” Pervez said. “And to be able to pass down to their kids this early reminder that autistic people are a normal and valuable part of our communities.”
Advocates helped choose the doll’s unique features over 18 months of development, Pervez said. For example, the eyes of the new Barbie shift slightly to the side to represent how some autistic people sometimes avoid direct eye contact, he said.
The doll also has mobile elbows and wrists to acknowledge stimming, hand flapping and other gestures that some autistic people use to process sensory information or to express excitement, according to Mattel. It also comes with a fidget spinner for similar sensory reasons.
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The development team debated whether to dress the doll in a tight or a loose-fitting outfit, Pervez said. Some autistic people wear loose clothes because they’re sensitive to the feel of fabric seams, while others wear figure-hugging garments to give them a sense of where their bodies are. They opted for a looser garment that would minimize skin contact, as well as flat shoes, given that some autistic people struggle with sensing where their bodies are in space.
The doll also comes with a tablet, Pervez said, to add representation for non-speaking autistic people. And given the fact that autistic women and autistic people of colour are less likely to be correctly identified as autistic, the team decided to make their Barbie both of those things.
Girls under-diagnosed
Deepa Singal, scientific director of the Autism Alliance of Canada, said under-diagnosis of girls is a serious issue, and one wider representation could help to rectify.
“That’s not because there are more autistic boys, but girls have just been under-diagnosed over the years because it’s been missed,” she said. “And some moments like this really helps shift that understanding.”
The doll’s non-speaking representation, she said, helps to normalize “alternative ways of expressing needs, preferences and emotions,” while also reinforcing the fact that supportive communication needs are “simply a different way [of] interacting with the world.”
Barbie is now part of a slow shift in children’s entertainment. Sesame Street introduced an autistic character, Julia, in 2015 — though controversy around the character’s promotion of some parent resources caused autism advocates like ASAN to condemn and part ways with the program.
Meanwhile, other toys — like Walmart’s “My Life As Autism Advocate” and a one-off astronaut doll based on a real Irish boy — have popped up in the past.
But, Singal says, the mainstream quality of this Barbie helps cement an important message.
“For an autistic girl who has rarely seen herself reflected, seeing an iconic and globally celebrated toy celebrate being autistic sends a really powerful message,” she said. “And that message is, ‘I belong.’”
Barbie’s ‘Fashionistas’
Mattel’s new doll is part of their Fashionistas line, which also includes a dolls representing individuals with type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome and who are blind. The Fashionistas also include a Barbie and a Ken with a prosthetic leg, and a Barbie with hearing aids, as well as different body and hair types and skin colours.
“Barbie has always strived to reflect the world kids see and the possibilities they imagine, and we’re proud to introduce our first autistic Barbie as part of that ongoing work,” Jamie Cygielman, Mattel’s global head of dolls, said in a statement.
Pervez says that was a direct inspiration for his participation in the project. Pervez, who uses a wheelchair, explained how he had early memories playing with Mattel’s Becky “Share A Smile” doll — Barbie’s friend, introduced in 1997, who used a wheelchair.
“So I learned pretty early on that some people use wheelchairs and that’s just kind of like — she’s part of the crew just like the other dolls, right?” Pervez said.
“This is kind of in that vein. It’s a way for kids to build empathy and understanding that autistic people are part of their world — in the same way that all of these other dolls are part of their world.”
