Robot named ‘Milo’ helps special needs students in Montour School District

As more children are being diagnosed with intellectual disabilities, curriculums are adapting to serve the need.

“I never thought anything like this would be in my teaching career and it’s made a huge difference for the kids,” said Sheri Sumpter, a teacher at Montour Elementary School.

In a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in six kids ages 3 to 17 have an intellectual disability, and the real test comes when they enter the school system.

“Mason wasn’t diagnosed with Down syndrome until he was 13 months old. He wasn’t able to communicate at first, we did a lot of sign language,” said Heather Lipinski.

Lipinski told Channel 11 when her 9-year-old son Mason entered his Montour Elementary School classroom five years ago, he didn’t speak. Now his personality dances out of him, along with full sentences.

“He can do a lot of things that I never thought at this point in fourth grade he would be able to do. I didn’t think maybe he could ever do it, to be honest with you,” said Lipinski.

It may come as a surprise that the answer to this mother’s prayers comes in the form of a 2-foot-tall robot named Milo.

“They are interested in technology, so they are so intrigued with what he’s doing, that they like him more than they like me or anybody else in the room,” said Sumpter.

Studies prove that exact point, and it’s why the Dallas company RoboKind created Milo to help.

“Any kids with communication delays, autism, intellectual disability, emotional disability, any kid that struggles expressing their emotions,” Sumpter said.

For one hour, researchers watched the interaction between those students with Milo teaching lessons. The company reported that the kids were engaged 87.5% of the time. Compared to the same lessons being taught by a therapist, the number dropped to 2.5%.

“They said because it’s not a human, they are more interactive because they have trouble interacting with humans,” Sumpter said.

Sumpter said it’s not just teaching the kids how to count or spell, but the social and emotional cues they may be lacking.

“I have a student that has severe behaviors, and just this past week he started telling us more things; like ‘when she’s loud it makes me upset,’ or ‘it’s too loud,’ and he would never express. Before, he would bolt out (of) the room, yell, scream, hit us, and now he can express and that makes a world of a difference,” said Sumpter.

Across the country, schools are adding Milo to the classroom, with 13 schools in Pennsylvania so far, and four in our region including Montour, West Mifflin, Canon-McMillan and Charleori. As the lessons adapt and the statistics continue to rise, so do Sumpter’s hopes.

“To be able to carry over those skills from Milo into the real world and feel more comfortable in the general society,” said Sumpter.

As for Mason, his mom knows his future will be bright, thanks to a robot named Milo.

“You never think someone is able to do a lot or communicate a lot. You always have high hopes for your child, but seeing it in motion and being able to see them communicate like any other child,” said Lipinski.

Click here to read more about RoboKind.

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