According to state education officials, the number of S.C. students diagnosed with autism has doubled from 4,000 in 2011 to 8,000 in 2017. Traditional teaching methods don’t always reach those students, but a school in the Midlands has a new tool making a difference.

Carrie Watson has two sons coping with autism. She says communication hasn’t always been easy. But a new robot called Milo is being used at their elementary school in Lugoff. Watson says it’s helped Colby and Jacob go from nonverbal to expressive.

“I’ve noticed in the past couple of weeks, especially since they brought Milo in here, he has been talking to me more, he has been telling me his needs and wants more. Colby is the same thing,” says Watson.

Right now, Kershaw County is one of fifteen school districts in South Carolina under the three-year pilot program. Thirty Milo robots were introduced last October as a way to help students with autism develop social skills. He shows more than 10 emotions and can act and dance. This all works in conjunction with scenarios played on a tablet.

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