Meeting Milo: Robot Uses Spectrum of Facial Expressions to Engage With Autistic Students at Kingsbury Elementary
December 10, 2017
By: Bruce Mills
Source: The Sumter Item
Robots are slowly becoming an increasing part of our culture in the U.S., with much debate as to whether that’s good or bad.
But with this robot — which has the appearance of a human and helps increase social engagement for children with autism — there’s mounting research and evidence as to its effectiveness.
He’s Milo the Humanoid, and he’s at Kingsbury Elementary School in Sumter School District as part of a pilot study in the state.
Seventeen of South Carolina’s 81 public school districts are taking part in the three-year pilot study with Milo, who delivers a thorough social, emotional and behavioral research-based curriculum to students with autism. All costs associated with Milo and his software are paid with federal funding.
People with autism generally have challenges with social and emotional skills and may struggle with eye contact, interacting verbally with others and reading social cues, which all affect their ability to learn, said Julie Jeffcoat, lead teacher for special education at Kingsbury…