Pablo: Cartoon illustrates importance of inclusivity in schools

Starting or returning to school can bring a mixture of excitement and nerves for any child.

For children with additional needs, like autism, the time may be even more daunting and perhaps fearful.

A new Belfast-made cartoon series aims to encourage and empower children in classrooms to be more inclusive and to create a space for minds of all kinds.

Pablo: Next Level, a spin-off from the pre-school series Pablo, features an autistic lead character and this time he’s heading to primary school.

The animated comedy series has been produced by Belfast’s Paper Owl Films and Crayola Studios and will be shown across the UK and Ireland on CBBC and RTÉ Kids.

Across 40 episodes, audiences will follow eight year old Pablo’s adventures as he processes mainstream school life with the help of his trusty sketch pad and his book animal friends, while focusing on the autistic child’s perspective and voice.

Pablo is played by 11-year-old Alexander Myles from Ballycastle, County Antrim. He also has autism. He said the character will be relatable for other children with autism.

“Sometimes Pablo struggles with textures of different objects or with people, he doesn’t like it when his food touches, he sometimes finds it hard to understand things, he doesn’t like it whenever rules change unexpectedly and most of all he finds it hard to make friendships or keep them,” Alexander said.

“I hope people with autism, and also people with any mental or physical disability, like Mylo in the show who is in a wheelchair or Eoin who has dyslexia, will be able to look up and relate and be able to get through the rough and hard times.

“I’ve seen people be horrible to other people with disabilities just because they’re not the same as it doesn’t really matter who you are or aren’t are, because we’re all human in the end.”

Like Pablo, Alexander is also about to take on a new milestone, when he starts secondary school.