How realistic is Mattel’s new autistic Barbie?

By Aimee Grant, Associate Professor in Public Health and Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellow, Swansea University
Rebecca Ellis, Assistant Researcher in Public Health, Swansea University

Autistic people are so rarely depicted in media and entertainment, it’s no wonder most people don’t really understand much about the neurotype.

So we were pleased to see the launch of autistic Barbie.

Autism is a life-long neurodevelopmental difference, meaning autistic children grow into autistic adults. As autistic researchers, who advocate for the increased meaningful representation of our community, it was a good sign that multinational toy company Mattel worked with an autistic-led advocacy…

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