STEVENAGE, England – Eden Sawczenko used to recoil when other little girls held her hand and turned stiff when they hugged her. This year, the 4-year-old autistic girl began playing with a robot that teaches about emotions and physical contact — and now she hugs everyone.
"She's a lot more affectionate with her friends now and will even initiate the embrace," said Claire Sawczenko, Eden's mother.
This is a huge leap in progress for autistic children. The robot interacts with them with facial expressions while remaining safe for them. One robot is so advanced it can play Wii with the kids. This will never replace good old fashioned therapy and care, but it is a foot in the door to communicating with the most difficult and unreachable cases, and give these kids a chance to come out of a shell we don't understand and join us in the world.
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