WASHINGTON — Dollmaker Mattel has unveiled its first ever autistic Barbie doll, which they said was produced after more than a year of development guided by the autistic community.

The new doll was created in partnership with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a nonprofit disability rights organization run by and for autistic people, and joins Mattel’s Barbie Fashionistas line. The Fashionistas collection features a wide range of skin tones, hair textures, body types and dolls representing various medical conditions and disabilities.

“Barbie has always strived to reflect the world kids see and the possibilities they imagine, and we’re proud to introduce our first autistic Barbie as part of that ongoing work,” Jamie Cygielman, Mattel’s global head of dolls, said in a statement. “The doll, designed with guidance from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, helps to expand what inclusion looks like in the toy aisle and beyond because every child deserves to see themselves in Barbie.”

According to a press release issued alongside the doll’s announcement, the Barbie doll includes features intended to authentically reflect experiences that many people on the autism spectrum may relate to.

The doll has articulated elbows and wrists to allow for stimming, hand flapping and other gestures. Its eye gaze is shifted slightly to the side, reflecting how some autistic people may avoid direct eye contact.

The outfit, a purple pinstripe dress with short sleeves and flat purple shoes, was designed with sensory sensitivity in mind, using less fabric-to-skin contact and emphasizing comfort and ease of movement.

The doll also comes with several accessories tied to sensory regulation and communication, including a pink finger-clip fidget spinner that spins, pink noise-canceling headphones and a tablet displaying symbol-based Augmentative and Alternative Communication, or AAC, apps.

“As proud members of the autistic community, our ASAN team was thrilled to help create the first-ever autistic Barbie doll,” Colin Killick, executive director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, said in a statement. “It is so important for young autistic people to see authentic, joyful representations of themselves, and that’s exactly what this doll is.”

The doll is the latest in Mattel’s Fashionistas line, which features a number of dolls who have various medical conditions and disabilities. One recently released doll has Type 1 diabetes, while another has Down syndrome.