Students with Special Needs Learn Coding and Life Skills From Robots

05 Oct Students with Special Needs Learn Coding and Life Skills From Robots

CRANSTON, RI, September 30, 2026 — Who knew that a robot could teach students so much?

Elementary-schoolers in grades 2–4 at Ocean State Academy (OSA), a private school for students with behavioral issues and social-emotional challenges, work with a robot named Dash to learn how to code for school science fairs, according to their special education teacher Jinalys Rosario-Garcia. But the young scholars at this specialized school in Cranston are learning other life lessons and skills, too.

“Our robotics and coding project give elementary students an opportunity to experience science and technology in a way that is hands-on, collaborative, and genuinely exciting,” said OSA Principal Robert Picard. “For our students with disabilities, being able to build something, write code, test it, make mistakes, and try again creates meaningful opportunities to practice problem-solving, communication, persistence, and teamwork.” 

The project they presented at a recent OSA science fair was called “Dash Through the City.” “As a class, the students designed and built their own city and obstacle course using materials such as cardboard, construction paper, paper plates, and cups,” explained Rosario-Garcia, whom the students call Ms. Jina, about the hands-on STEAM project. “They created road signs and other obstacles and worked together to build a roadway for Dash to travel through.” After the 2nd- through 4th-graders built the city, they used a platform called Make Wonder to program Dash, one of the Dot and Dash coding robots, and help him navigate through it. “Students learned how to create a sequence of commands, including moving forward and backward, turning right and left, and determining how many centimeters Dash needed to travel,” Ms. Jina explained. “They were also able to program things such as his speed, which gave them an opportunity to experiment, problem-solve, and adjust their code when Dash didn’t quite go where they expected him to.”

At the OSA science fair, the elementary school students presented “Dash Through the City” to visitors to show them how they were able to program the robot to be able to navigate the course they created, said Rosario-Garcia.
“It was a fun way for them to combine coding, engineering, creativity, and teamwork into one project,” Rosario-Garcia noted. Coding projects and robotics have been found to help special education students across the
country — and around the world.

Currently, humanoid robots are used in classrooms in more than 40 countries for autism and special education support, language learning, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Studies have shown that robots help pupils with autism improve their ability to make eye contact,
help them manage their emotions, and teach them how to take turns, according to Advances in Consumer Research. Robots can also help students with autism enhance social skills and communication, and cut back on problematic behaviors, found a study published in the International Journal of Developmental Disabilities. Early education robotics and tech programs have been shown to help young students’ cognitive development, with research showing improvements in retention of information thanks to robotics
education, or RE. In fact, RE has led to an 89% gain in coding knowledge, along with improvements in memory, logical reasoning, and problem-solving skills. The elementary-school-age pupils at OSA jumped at the chance to learn coding by working with
Dash, the robot, and sharing what they did at the science fair. Plus, they had fun in the process. “What was especially rewarding was seeing students who may sometimes hesitate in traditional academic settings become completely engaged and take pride in what they were able to accomplish,” said Picard. “The science fair gave them a chance to share their work and
demonstrate that they can be successful creators and innovators. And best of all, they enjoyed every minute of it!” 

OSA is a Rhode Island State Department of Education–approved private special education school for K–12 students, ages 5–21. It serves students with a variety of needs — such as autism, emotional/behavioral disorders, and specific learning disabilities. Learn more at oceanstateacademy.com.