ERIC Number: EJ1303497
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1054-0040
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Available Date: N/A
Montessori for Children with Learning Differences
Pickering, Joyce
Montessori Life: A Publication of the American Montessori Society, v29 n1 p48-53 Spr 2017
In "The Absorbent Mind," Montessori (1967) described the early development of children between birth and 3 years of age as proceeding along different tracks. For example, coordination might be developing typically, while language and speech may show delays of disorder and attention and perception may be below average for typical development. There could be any combination of these unequally developing areas. It is important that these areas, which will contribute to cognitive ability and adaptive ability, develop evenly, because in the period between 3 and 6 years, Montessori indicates these important skills will be integrated, and if there is uneven development, it hinders the integration of these skills to assist the child in learning. This creates a domino effect, in which unequal early development and integration of these skills affect all of the planes that follow the first, hence contributing to learning differences. Working from this premise, Montessori (along with French physicians Jean Marc Gaspard Itard and Édouard Séguin) explored ways that education could help minimize the differences between the typically developing child and the child who experiences learning and attention differences. This early work in sensory education led to the comprehensive multisensory curriculum of the Montessori Method. While the Method helps all children, it is critical to the progress of children who learn differently--including children with dyslexia, ADHD, communication disorders, intellectual deficiencies, and autism. This article will briefly describe these learning differences and discuss how the Montessori curriculum can be used with children with these differences.
Descriptors: Montessori Method, Learning Problems, Child Development, Early Childhood Education, Multisensory Learning, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Communication Disorders, Intellectual Disability, Autism, Mathematics Skills, Language Skills, Developmentally Appropriate Practices
American Montessori Society. 281 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010-6102. Tel: 212-358-1250; Fax: 212-358-1256; e-mail: info@amshq.org; Web site: https://amshq.org/Educators/Membership/Montessori-Life
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A