The Nation's First 'Autistic Child Character' Appears... EBS 'Dingdongdaeng Kindergarten'

Appearing from the 'Hello, Byeol-a' episode on the 18th
Expert advice and related books referenced
First time in 7 years since the US 'Sesame Street'

A character with autism spectrum disorder will appear in the EBS educational program 'Dingdongdaeng Kindergarten.' This is the first time in a domestic preschool and children's program.

On the 15th, EBS announced, "To understand the characteristics of children with developmental disabilities and to create a space for understanding, we have created Byeori, a character with autism spectrum disorder."

The character Byeol-i with autism spectrum disorder appearing in EBS's 'Ding Dong Dang Kindergarten.'
[Photo by EBS]

Byeori will appear starting from the episode 'Hello, Byeori' on the 18th (Friday). The Dingdongdaeng Kindergarten teacher will explain Byeori's characteristics and how to get along with them at the children's eye level.

Autism spectrum is characterized by difficulties in social communication and interaction. Byeori exhibits stereotyped behaviors such as shaking the body or arms. Byeori especially likes toy cars and can quickly name various vehicles, but is sensitive to noises like car horns. This is also the disability of the protagonist in last year's popular drama 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo.'

First appearance of a child with autism in a domestic children's program... In the U.S. since 2016

[Image source=Pixabay]

This is the first time a child with autism has appeared in a domestic children's program. It has been seven years since the character 'Julia,' who has autism spectrum disorder, appeared on the U.S. public broadcasting PBS's 'Sesame Street' in 2016.

The production team of 'Dingdongdaeng Kindergarten' consulted experts and referred to related books for the character Byeori. They also referenced interviews with families of children with autism spectrum disorder and videos depicting education and daily life.

The research and practice of the hand puppet actor and voice actor who will perform Byeori were also ongoing. Additionally, through collaboration with the author of the fairy tale 'The Child Wearing a Box,' which was drawn from the perspective of artists with developmental disabilities about communication, they created Byeori's theme song and music video.

The production team stated, "Through 'Byeori,' we hope to lay the foundation for finding answers to the question, 'What does our society need now to live together with children with developmental disabilities as members of our society?'"

Previously, 'Dingdongdaeng Kindergarten' featured characters that reversed traditional gender roles, characters with disabilities, and characters from multicultural families.