First autistic Barbie allows "more children to see themselves" in doll

Toymaker Mattel has released a Barbie with autism, complete with pink noise-cancelling headphones and a clip-on fidget spinner to reflect her sensory needs.

Mattel developed the doll with the US-based Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), a non-profit disability rights group that represents people with autism – a form of neurodivergence that can influence your communication and experience of the world.

The first autistic Barbie was designed with a series of visible features in solidarity with autistic children, who make up around one in 100 kids worldwide.

The doll features elbow and wrist articulation to enable stimming – repeated movements or behaviours like hand flapping, which some autistic people use to manage overwhelming feelings or overstimulation.

Mattel also designed the Barbie with an eye gaze subtly shifted to the side to reflect how some people with autism prefer to avoid direct eye contact.

The doll comes with Barbie-pink over-ear headphones, described by the toymaker as a "helpful and fashionable accessory that reduces sensory overload by blocking out background noise".

Finished in the same hue, a clip-on fidget spinner can be attached to the doll's finger to reflect how some autistic people use handheld fidget toys to aid concentration and minimise stress.

The doll carries a pink tablet with a symbol-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system on its screen – a tool that some individuals with autism, including children, use to assist with everyday communication.

Mattel also explained that the doll's outfit was chosen to reflect her autism.

She wears a loose-fitting, short-sleeved dress with a skater skirt to minimise fabric-to-skin contact and flat, sturdy shoes to "promote stability and ease of movement", the toymaker explained.

"The first autistic Barbie doll invites more children to see themselves represented," said Mattel, which officially released the doll yesterday.

As part of the launch, the toymaker is working with autistic people in the UK, including Ellie Middleton, founder of neurodivergent community Unmasked.

"Statistics show that young girls are often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed," said Middleton, who was diagnosed with autism and ADHD at the age of 24.

"To have a powerful symbol like this autistic Barbie doll helps bring the conversation around neurodivergence in women to the forefront, so that autistic girls can feel accepted and seen," she added.

Mattel has strived to make Barbies more inclusive over the last decade, following the release of its 2016 Fashionista line that was created to include more body types and skin types.

Previously, this effort has also seen the company release a hijabi Barbie based on Olympic athlete Ibtihaj Muhammad.

The photography is courtesy of Mattel.

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