The Barbie doll features aspects meant to represent traits of some individuals with autism, according to Mattel. This includes an eye gaze shifted slightly to the side to avoid eye contact; elbow and wrist articulation for stimming, hand flapping and other hand gestures for expressing excitement or processing sensory information.

Mattel introduced its first autistic Barbie in partnership with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.

Those physical traits include articulated elbows and wrists that allow for hand movements such as “stimming and hand flapping,” which some people on the autism spectrum use to “process sensory input o...