Milo can’t stop showing off for the press. Chicago Tribune is the latest news outlet to sit down and talk with Milo about his work with ASD children. He appears with his friend Pamela Rollins, who helped to develop Milo’s extensive curriculum.
“We found that the children, especially the fluent ones, were engaged about 87 percent of the time,” Rollins tells Chicago Tribune, “we also look at how they interact with the therapist, and that was at about 3 percent.”
Milo’s cartoonish design is non-threatening for children with ASD, who often feel uncomfortable looking at a regular person directly in the face. His curriculum teaches a broad range of behaviors, and his expressive face helps children learn to recognize expressions. He speaks 20% slower than the average human, which allows a student to listen and understand lesson plans more easily. The most important aspect of Milo is his patience. Children with ASD learn with repetition, and Milo is willing to repeat a lesson as often as needed without getting tired or frustrated. Milo’s curriculum encourages a child to step out of their shell and does not force them to conform to rules. With his help, ASD learners develop communication skills, which can transfer to real-world applications. As more and more news outlets recognize Milo and RoboKind’s efforts, there can be no doubt he is making a difference in the autistic community.
Be sure to check out the original video here.