XP- Montessori ?

TinyPinkBug · October 2011

Anyone have a special needs child who goes to a Montessori school? Or have any general insight to Montessori in general?

My son has some pretty significant social/emotional delays as well as some sensory issues. He currently has a blanket autism spectrum dx and attends an integrated preschool which is great. His preschool staff, including his teacher who runs a camp for children with autism and the psychologist who meets with him individually twice a week, do not believe the autism dx is appropiate for him. I can't say I completely disagree, he has some part that fit but also has some great skills that you just don't see in AS kids his age.

Our challange comes next fall when he starts kindergarden. He has problems functioning in groups, there is no way he will sit in a class of 26 5 yr olds listening to one teacher recite "A says ahh". Especially since his is already reading at age 4, from self directed learning. He tests very well and because of this, there is no way he will qualify for services at the kindergarden level since they are based on academic need. There is a very big concern from his preschool staff about what will happen to him next year with no services in a typical kindergarden setting.

I am considering taking a look into a Montessori school, PK-6. I think there will be both advantages and disadvantages for my son in a Montessori program. One advantage would be very little need to adjust to functioning as part of a large group next year, but that is also a disadvantage since he will need learn as part of a group when he is older. I know if I put him n Montessori at any point, I will need to keep him there. I think he will definitely learn and thrive in leaps and bounds in their program, at least academically.

Kindergarden is causing me way too much stress when it is still so far away.

lite-bright · October 2011

My DD1 is diagnosed HFA. I researched various types of preschool programs for her (prior to dx, which we got seven months ago) and ended up at our local preschools that have a Tools of the Mind curriculum. Even before we knew about the autism dx, I had doubts that Montessori was right for her, and felt that Tools of the Mind would be a better fit. It is a play-based program that emphasizes self-regulation, interaction/cooperation, planning and follow-through; her therapy program is based on some of the same psychological research as the curriculum, and I feel lucky that we have these schools as our community preschools. (It also has a good track record of helping typical kids succeed.)You're the one who knows your son best, but for my DD1, the Montessori principle of self-directed learning is kind of the opposite of what she needs, and it's not going to help her grow in the ways that she needs to. She would happily ritualize her day and do the same things over and over that she's comfortable with. Meanwhile, she'd be having awkward and limited interactions with other kids; she needs to be encouraged and prompted in order to expand her imaginative play, learn to work as part of a team or group, and how to interact successfully with other kids. I would be very, very reluctant to put off learning those skills -- with autism, they are always going to be harder for her than other kids and she needs more work on them, not an environment that allows her to avoid them. TBH, also, I found in looking into private and/or charter schools that many of them can refuse to take students with SN that they consider beyond their capabilities to deal with -- and I think some of them set that bar very low. It's not like a public school district where they must, by law, provide your child with an appropriate education no matter the level of their SN. If he has significant social and emotional delays as you said, and behaviors that impact his ability to get an education -- which, if he can't learn in a group, they definitely are and his teachers/therapists should be able to attest to that -- then he should qualify for services through your school district, and I would fight tooth and nail for that.We may consider a charter school for DD1 at kindy, but that is all going to depend on her progress and the level of support she needs after two years of services, and of course, whether the schools we're considering are a good fit for her. I will almost certainly not consider Montessori for her.

wellfleet04 · October 2011

I would not assume that he will not qualify for services given the delays and concerns you've mentioned. The standard is "educational need" not "academic need." My DD receives OT and PT through the school district for a gross motor delay caused by a vestibular processing issue. It has zero to do with her speech or cognitive abilities, which are significantly above average. But, she cannot participate fully on the playground. She cannot sit at a desk for long periods of time without tiring, she has some balance issues, etc. Those things were enough to qualify her for services.

If you and your son's teachers don't believe he can function in a classroom setting, that is a need. Social/emotional deficits are a need. I would at least explore whether he will qualify before you rule it out based on his academic abilities.

TinyPinkBug · October 2011

Thank for all the honest answers, most of the points made are ones that I had already considered but I guess I needed to hear them from someone else as well. I am really just trying to explore every available option.

I would love to say that I am just assuming at this point that my son wont be getting services in kindergarten. I am being told by many staff and evaluators from the district that he will not qualify. In the four evaluations he has had since we started in early intervention at age 2, he has never qualified for anything based on testing. It has all been based on professional judgements and therapists fighting for services on my son's behalf. Unfortunately, the county has changed policies and there is absolutely no more consideration of professional judgement statements to qualify for services. If this was the case 2-3 yrs ago, he never would have been getting any services in the first place. As a result, he would probably qualify now though.

Considerations and meetings for special needs don't happen until spring, but DS's teacher is so concerned about it, because she has seen it happen in the past, that she has me stressing about it. So, I am just trying to explore every option out there before we get to the point that we need to stand up and fight for him.

XP- Montessori ?

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