Socastee Robotics makes Halloween a treat for special needs kids

Knox Dougherty’s Halloween costume will be anything but typical.

Thanks to help from Socastee High School students, the toddler will be sure to stand out.

Knox – who was born with a global developmental delay, meaning that functions such as speech and movement are not yet fully developed – was one of three children who were nominated to have a specially made costume created by the Socastee High School Robotics Team.

Students who are a part of the team undertook the task as a way to keep their skills sharp while they are out of competition season, which falls between January and March.

“We were looking for some things that maybe we could do in the off season, and I had been looking around at sort of things that might be sort of robotics related and found … making Halloween costumes for kids with wheelchairs,” said Kyle Myres, math teacher and robotics coach at Socastee.

Knox – who is wheelchair bound – was the perfect candidate.

While global developmental delay is a general term, his specific condition is unknown. He has been through many different tests to determine what causes his delay and, despite his condition, acts like a typical kid, exploring, playing, and getting into mischief with his brother.

“He doesn’t walk without help, he doesn’t sit up, he doesn’t talk a whole lot. He just basically doesn’t do what a normal 3-and-a-half-year-old should be doing at this point in their lives,” said the toddler’s dad, Brendan Dougherty.

However, “He never has a bad day. He’s the happiest kid you’ll ever be around,” his father added.

When Myres asked the students if they would be interested in taking on such a large project, she was met with excited approval.

“We decided that we wanted to help people and make Halloween costumes,” Myres said. “And so, the Socastee community, the high school community, is so giving.”

Myres then sent out information to other Socastee teachers in order to have special needs kids nominated for the project.

“It was a week later we had three people, three kids, and at that point I was like, ‘Okay, this is our first year, we’ve gotta stop.’ Because I wanted to make sure that what we did, we did well,” Myres said.

The Robotics Team was then split into three groups, one group for each kid. Each costume was made from scratch, with the students designing them specifically for each kid.

“The kids, they really took to heart what the kids getting the costumes wanted. You know, Knox really likes baseball, and so we designed something just for him,” Myres said. “One little girl really likes Star Wars … so we’re designing a spaceship, head dress and everything for her, based on the Star Wars character. And then, we have a middle school boy and he really likes baseball and video games. So we’re doing sort of a Tron baseball player for him.”

With Halloween quickly approaching, each kid is preparing for the big costume reveal. Knox’s was on Tuesday.

“We came down here, I want to say about a month ago and he got fitted for it and then we haven’t been back,” Brendan Dougherty said. “Today’s the first day we’ve been back for the big reveal.”

And it was a success. His “sliding into home plate” costume consists of two boards covered in artificial grass. The first board fits over the front of Knox’s walker and has a home plate covered in dirt. The second board, which fits on the back of the walker, has baseball pants that lead down to cleats. To top it off, he has a personalized baseball cap and shirt.

Needless to say, Knox loved the costume.

“In the last three or four months he’s gotten more used to his walker and moving around and exploring in it,” Brendan said. “And so, for him to be able to have his costume be a part of that and take it with him on Halloween instead of being in a stroller, he can actually go up to a house and get his own candy. It’s just going to be pretty cool for him.”

This is the first year that Knox has gone all out. In previous years he dressed up as a bear and another year as Robin, while his brother went as Batman. Knox’s parents are grateful for the opportunity that has been given to their son, and are excited to take him trick-or-treating.

“Thanks to Socastee, the math and robotics club, the Miracle League, and everything they do. I mean this is great, this is an awesome experience and it’s good for Knox and that they want to be a part of him,” Brendan Dougherty said. “And he’s happy.”

This story was originally published October 25, 2016 at 8:14 PM with the headline "Socastee Robotics makes Halloween a treat for special needs kids."