By Lisa Nault
Staff Writer

In America, around 3.5 million people live with autism. Autism is a disorder that affects a person’s mental ability—specifically causing difficulty in communicating and/or interacting with others. In an effort to further educate the general public about autism, Exceptional Minds has worked with “Sesame Street” for the creation of “Benny’s Story.”

“Benny’s Story” is an animated short that follows a grade-schooler who has autism. The video is a little over a minute long and goes over a few common habits for individuals on the spectrum such as being sensitive to loud noises or not wanting to play in big groups.

The animated short has been shared across different social media outlets and has been gaining good reception. However, Exceptional Minds has been making even more impressive strides in the media.

Exceptional Minds has worked on “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” and “Ant-Man.” The talented people working in the studio are on the autism spectrum and are following careers in visual effects as well as animation.

In fact, Exceptional Minds is the only vocational school and working studio that prepares these young individuals for the careers they are passionate about. It is a non-profit organization that focuses on meaningful employment and life skills for people on the spectrum.

The school was founded in 2011 and has been making an huge impact in educating the public. With “Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children,” families and teachers will be provided with resources around the country to help educate them about autism. By understanding what autism is, those people will gain the tools and skills to help those with autism in general.

Sherrie Westin, Executive Vice President of Global Impact and Philanthropy for Sesame Workshop, said, “We are proud to partner with Exceptional Minds to create these critical resources for the community.

This collaboration is a perfect example of what this initiative is all about: seeing the amazing in all people. These young men and women at Exceptional Minds are creative, determined, and amazing artists.”

The main mission of Exceptional Minds is to create a world where those on the spectrum can be recognized for their creative abilities. They can show their true potential in an environment that allows them to blossom.

For more information on Exceptional Minds Studio you can visitm www.exceptionalmindsstudio.org. To watch the videos that Exceptional Minds and “Sesame Street” have created, you can visit autism.sesamestreet.org.