Current:Home > MyCalifornia library uses robots to help kids with autism learn and connect with the world around them-LoTradeCoin
California library uses robots to help kids with autism learn and connect with the world around them
View Date:2024-12-23 23:47:03
At a library in Southern California, robots aren't cold and scary: They're providing the interaction some of the library's youngest patrons are craving.
For four-year-old Luke Sepulveda, finding a friendly robot at the Santa Ana Public Library was the start of a futuristic friendship. Now, the robot even greets him by name.
His mother, Ella Sepulveda, said that her son is on the autism spectrum. She wants him to be able to communicate with the world around him, she said, and the library's robot helps him do that.
"In different spaces, you don't know how he's going to react," Sepulveda said. "So I was just hoping for the best because he loves technology ... Just knowing that a robot can engage his attention, that makes me happy."
The robots in the library have been specially programmed to teach children with autism. Larry Singer, a senior tutor at the library, said that the robots work as a tool because of their consistent behavior.
"Human beings have emotions. Human beings get tired. Human beings get frustrated. A robot (has the) same response every single time," Singer said. "They're not critical."
About one in 36 children in the United States is on the autism spectrum, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the Santa Ana Public Library is one of the first libraries to provide the pricey program for free. The initiative has been spearheaded by head librarian Cheryl Eberly, who said that she launched the program during the pandemic and hopes to fill gaps of services for children of color, who are often not diagnosed with autism until they're older.
"Every time I see a kid on the spectrum or a neurodivergent kid lock in and interact with the robot and get that moment where they are bonded and they understand, it's amazing," Eberly said. "It's like validation that this works."
- In:
- Technology
- Robot
- California
- Autism
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Firefighters make progress, but Southern California wildfire rages on
- Which economic indicator defined 2022?
- Pregnant Stassi Schroeder Wants to Try Ozempic After Giving Birth
- The Riverkeeper’s Quest to Protect the Delaware River Watershed as the Rains Fall and Sea Level Rises
- My Chemical Romance will perform 'The Black Parade' in full during 2025 tour: See dates
- Which economic indicator defined 2022?
- Shell’s Plastics Plant Outside Pittsburgh Has Suddenly Become a Riskier Bet, a Study Concludes
- Q&A: A Pioneer of Environmental Justice Explains Why He Sees Reason for Optimism
- Is Kyle Richards Finally Ready to File for Divorce From Mauricio Umansky? She Says...
- Gunman on scooter charged with murder after series of NYC shootings that killed 86-year-old man and wounded 3 others
Ranking
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul VIP fight package costs a whopping $2M. Here's who bought it.
- Tighten, Smooth, and Firm Skin With a 70% Off Deal on the Peter Thomas Roth Instant Eye Tightener
- Elon Musk says he will resign as Twitter CEO once he finds a replacement
- Across America, Five Communities in Search of Environmental Justice
- US inflation may have picked up in October after months of easing
- New York’s Use of Landmark Climate Law Could Resound in Other States
- EPA Targets Potent Greenhouse Gases, Bringing US Into Compliance With the Kigali Amendment
- Fortnite maker Epic Games agrees to settle privacy and deception cases
Recommendation
-
Justice Department sues to block UnitedHealth Group’s $3.3 billion purchase of Amedisys
-
Cultivated meat: Lab-grown meat without killing animals
-
Transcript: Sen. Chris Coons on Face the Nation, July 9, 2023
-
Renewable Energy’s Booming, But Still Falling Far Short of Climate Goals
-
Fire crews gain greater control over destructive Southern California wildfire
-
The overlooked power of Latino consumers
-
You People Don't Want to Miss New Parents Jonah Hill and Olivia Millar's Sweet PDA Moment
-
Inside a Southern Coal Conference: Pep Rallies and Fears of an Industry’s Demise