Teaching With a Friend: RoboKind’s Impact in Lawrence Township

Teaching With a Friend: RoboKind’s Impact in Lawrence Township

Once I learned we were getting RoboKind, I handpicked the students for the class. I made sure to select students I knew would not only benefit from the program, but would respond well.

We (1 teacher and 2 Instructional Assistants) have been using RoboKind since January 6, 2023 with 7 students.  All 7 students have a primary disability of Autism. In addition, some students have secondary disabilities of Language Impairment, Speech Impairment and Intellectual Disabilities (Mild and Moderate). In my 18 years of teaching, I have never witnessed 7 students as engaged as I did while Milo was giving his introduction. I watched the students’ faces and reactions. I could see smiles, students mimicking what Milo was doing (swinging a bat, driving a car, dancing) and other students were just watching and not making a sound. This may seem like a “typical” response, but for the students in my class, this is a major feat. I was elated and ready to get started!

We have already seen such growth in many of our students in just 2 months. One of our students has difficulty calming down, especially if he is told he cannot do something  or something doesn’t go as planned. I was called into one of his classes as this student was having what was referred to as a “meltdown”. The other students had been removed to a nearby classroom and only the teacher and he remained. When I arrived, the student was jumping up and down and screaming. My first approach was to find out what was wrong and I asked him. He just screamed some more. I then tried another approach and said, “Student’s Name, remember what Milo tells you…take deep breaths. Will you take a deep breath with me like Milo does?” The student looked at me for a second and as I took a deep breath, he did the same and said, “Milo”. I continued to take 2 more deep breaths. I let him know he did a good job and that Milo would be proud of him. Another day, this same student was taking an assessment and time was drawing near for the block to be over. This student is very attuned to time and was becoming anxious. With 3 minutes left before the bell was to ring and my instructional assistant retrieved me from my room. I attempted to calm the student down which did not work. The student threw himself on the floor, ran around the classroom and demanded to be let out of the room. (We could not let him out of the room as the halls were now crowded with hundreds of other HIGH school students and it would not be safe.) My instructional assistant and I had to think fast. I looked at the student and said, “Student’s Name, what calm down strategies have you learned from Milo? Deep breaths, counting to 10…” I began to take deep breaths. I encouraged the student to take some deep breaths. He started to take deep breaths with me. I let him know that once he calmed down, we could open the door and walk out of the room. It took a few tries, but this worked.

RoboKind continues to be necessary in the HIGH school setting, not just the elementary setting. I am working with students of varying abilities. The students struggle to differentiate expressions and emotions. Milo is able to show the students what these expressions and emotions look like and provides them with an excellent model. They are also provided adequate time to practice. There are still HIGH school students that struggle with basic hygiene issues. There are modules to support these topics. I cannot wait to explore these and see the growth my students can make.

I know some may worry that some are suggesting RoboKind is replacing teachers; however, this is far from true. Milo is a support. I, along with my instructional assistants, are there every step of the way. We have incorporated it into 1 of our classes. We have dedicated time to utilize RoboKind with our students. He does not replace us. He is more like a friend to our students. He can reach them at a level that I cannot as an adult. I go through and select certain IEP goals within RoboKind Central for each student and that is then played out through Milo. There are a number of offline supports available for us to utilize in the classroom and to send home to parents, as well. RoboKind is a phenomenal resource. I am grateful to be able to utilize RoboKind with my students.

Carey Northcutt
Lawrence Township, Indiana