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Age 3 9 15 21
S P R IN G 2017 49
MONTESSORI FOR CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES
This diagram represents the progression of typical For example, coordination might be developing typ
development from birth to age 24. Montessori, who ically, while language and speech may show delays of
had worked with children with varying exceptionalities, disorder and attention and perception may be below
at the Orthophrenic School, in Rome, recognized that average for typical development. There could be any
children challenged in learning had what she referred combination of these unequally developing areas. It
to as an unequal development. As we look at the four is important that these areas, which will contribute to
planes for the typical child, we might envision all of the cognitive ability and adaptive ability, develop evenly,
lines from birth to age 24 as wavy lines, indicating this because in the period between 3 and 6 years, Montes
unequal development. sori indicates these important skills will be integrated,
and if there is uneven development, it hinders the in
F o u r P lanes o f D e v e lo p m e n t tegration of these skills to assist the child in learning.
This creates a domino effect, in which unequal early
Age 3 9 15 21 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 Edouard
Seguin) explored ways that education could help mini
mize the differences between the typically developing
child and the child who experiences learning and atten
Infancy Childhood Adolescence Maturity tion differences. This early work in sensory education led
to the comprehensive multisensory curriculum of the
Montessori Method. While the Method helps all chil
The development of the “at risk” child is uneven. Some
areas are developing typically; others are not. The dren, it is critical to the progress of children who learn
sensitive periods are different. Since the development in differently—including children with dyslexia, ADHD,
the first 6 years is different, all other periods of communication disorders, intellectual deficiencies, and
development are affected.
autism. I will briefly describe these learning differences
and then discuss how the Montessori curriculum can be
In a 1988 lecture, Dr. Sylvia Richardson suggested used with children with these differences.
that to identify children at risk for learning differences The research of Dr. Gordon Sherman, at Beth Israel
with the goal of early intervention, the teacher should Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston, has shown that
observe the development of coordination, language, at the child with the specific reading disorder of dyslexia
tention, and perception. All of these areas can be clearly has a brain that is significantly different from the typ
observed in the Montessori classroom. In particular, ical reader— not damaged or abnormal, just different
the Sensorial curriculum helps the teacher to observe (Sherman & Cowen, 2003). Using MRI studies of indi
the child’s perceptual development and is diagnostic of viduals with dyslexia reading, Dr. Sally Shaywitz, of the
uneven development. Yale University School of Medicine (2003), has found
In The Absorbent Mind, Montessori (1967) also de that the dyslexic brain is processing letters and sounds
scribed the early development of children between birth into words as the beginning reader does rather than as
and 3 years of age as proceeding along different tracks. the typical reader, who, becoming fluent, primarily uses
the word form area of the brain. Even in adulthood, the
individual with dyslexia does not process visual and au
While the Montessori Method helps all ditory information as the typical reader does.
children, it is critical to the progress Studies of ADHD indicate that this difference is a
chronic neurobiological condition in which the person
of children who learn differently— has difficulty with sustained attention and impulse con
trol. Persons with ADHD have a physical, neurological
including children with dyslexia, ADHD, challenge caused by a lack of release of neurotransmit
ters in the brain that assist with arousal and ability to
communication disorders, intellectual concentrate and control impulses. Difficulty with exec
utive function is noted in children with ADHD—they
deficiencies, and autism. have trouble organizing and prioritizing.
50 MONTESSORI LIFE
For children with communication disorders, in
cluding speech and language development difficul To help the child who learns differently,
ties, we see differences in articulation, fluency of
speech, language comprehension, and expression.
when the usual presentation is not
The brain is not processing auditory information ac
curately or performing the task of bringing meaning
helping a student, Montessori educators
to the words that are heard.
Students on the autism spectrum have challeng
can use several techniques.
es with oral language development and social skill
development. Children with intellectual deficiency
have low average mental ability to severe deficiency
in intellectual development. increasing the discrimination to a 2 cm difference.
Each of the difficulties listed above can be found in Use more tactile kinesthetic exploration of each
dividually or in combination, preventing a student from cube, if necessary, to show the child how to make the
learning as a typically developing student does. choice; arrange the cubes in random order on the
To help the child who learns differently, when the mat and say “find the big one.” Repeat this for the first
usual presentation is not helping a student, Montessori 3 cubes. After the third cube, most children perceive
educators can use several techniques: how the choice is being made to build the cubes in
• reduce the difficulty of an activity gradation. This activity varies in 3 dimensions—
• use more tactile-kinesthetic input height, width, and depth.
• create control charts • Brown Prisms (Brown Stairs): Use the same proce
• focus on the development of oral language dures as described for the Pink Tower. This activity
• increase the structure for the child with impulse varies in 2 dimensions—height and width.
control difficulties, assuming the necessity to help • Red Rods: Use the same procedures as described for
the ADHD child to sustain attention, teaching the Pink Tower. It may be necessary to create a control
how to make work choices and how to develop a chart for the child to practice building the rods from
cycle of work long to short, until he perceives the difference, which
• combine Multisensory Structured Language tech in this activity varies only by one dimension—length.
niques with Montessori Language presentations. • Knobless Cylinders: Use the same procedures as de
Examples of these techniques are given below. scribed for the Pink Tower.
• Geometric Solids and Geometric Cabinet: Demon
PRACTICAL LIFE: strate to the child as you present the use of the senses
• Use fewer dry materials in initial pouring activities of feel (tactile and kinesthetic), which will assist visu
(for example, 5 large beans versus many grains of al perception.
rice) and less liquid. • Color Box III: Reduce the number of shades to be
Note: If the child is not holding the pitcher correctly, discriminated between, beginning with 3 dark, 3
the lesson may have to become how to hold a pitcher lighter, and 3 lightest. Increase the range of discrimi
and work up to pouring. nation until the child can perceive the differences in
• Dressing Frames: lesson reduced to a first presenta all 7 shades. A control chart can also be used.
tion of untying, unbuttoning, unbuckling, etc., with • Memory Bag: Begin the year with objects in the bag
each step presented in separate lessons working to that are made of different materials and are distinct
ward the final step of mastering the direct purpose ly different in shape. During the year, increase the
of the lesson difficulty by making all of the objects of the same
• Cutting bananas and bread before cutting more solid material, such as wood, and increase the similarity
foods, like carrots of the shapes of the objects. With all Sensorial ac
• Attaching language to the name of the presentation tivities, add as much language to the presentation as
and all of the materials used in the lesson that is at the possible (after the initial silent presentation). Nam
level of the child’s oral language development ing each object (e.g., big, little; large; small; larger,
smaller; largest, smallest) expands the child’s vocab
SENSORIAL: ulary. As the child is able, add describing words to
• Pink Tower: Reduce the number of cubes to use ev each activity (e.g., heavy, light, rough, smooth, and the
ery other cube, beginning with the largest, thereby names of colors).
SPRING 2017 51
MONTESSORI FOR CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES
52 MONTESSORI LIFE
needed to build the words (5 As, 5 Ts, and one each
of C, H, S, M, and B). Students with processing chal
The art of teaching is to match the
lenges have difficulty seeing the patterns in words.
These sets are pu: together by word family, such as at,
level of the lesson to the student’s
ap, ab, an, ag, etc. The same type s of sets are made for
the other short vowel word families. After mastery of
individual developmental stage
the short vowel patterns, long vowel word families using the Montessori Method and
may be used in a similar fashion.
• Montessori s excellent sequence of language materi therapeutic strategies, as neces
als are multisensory and sequential. The MSL pro
gram adds more detail to the strategies that work for sary, to enhance the educational
students who learn typically in order to adapt them
for those who learn differently. As the student pro progress of the student.
ceeds to more irregularities of language, Montessori
color-coded works provide for these higher-level
language skills to increase accurate reading and spell JOYCE P IC K E R IN G , MA, S L P /C C C , HUMD, is immediate past
ing. Comprehension is embedded in the early word president of the AMS Board of Directors. She is executive
building by attaching meaning through the use of pic director emerita at Shelton School & Evaluation Center, in Dallas,
tures for each word that is built. TX. She is AMS-credentiaied (Early Childhood). Contact her at
• Use linguistic readers to practice the patterns the stu jpickering@ shelton.org.
dent is learning. Decoding and comprehension are
included in these readers and subsequent readers as R e fe re n c e s
Grazzini, C (Jan-Feb 1988). The four planes of development: A constructive rhythm
they master more patterns of the language.
o f life. Montessori Today. 1 ( l) , 7-8.
• Handwriting is carefully taught by beginning with Montessori, M. (1967). The absorbent mind. New York: Dell Publishing Co., p. 6.
prewriting activities, including the Metal Insets. Pickering,}. S. (1976). Montessori applied to children at risk oral language development
curriculum. Sao Paulo, Brazil: Escola Graduada de Sao Paulo, p. 8.
The formation of each letter is taught, preferably Richardson, S. (1988). Lecture given to the Florida branch o f the International Dys
in cursive, beginning with the Sandpaper Letters. lexia Society.
Shaywitz, S. (2003.) Overcoming dyslexia: A new and complete science-based program for
Students with learning differences experience spa reading problems at any level. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, p. 9.
tial and directionality confusions. Cursive with Sherman, G. & Cowen, C. D. (2003, spring). Neuroanatomy of dyslexia through the
lens o f cerebrodiversity. Perspectives, 29(2), 9-13. Baltimore, MD: International
letters connected into words and spaces between
Dyslexia Association, p. 10.
the words is an assist to these students. There are
fewer reversals noted in cursive and the writing is
more legible. There is no difference in the motoric
requirements for one handwriting system over an
other. Students learning to write in cursive do not
have a problem reading print.
• Montessori grammar is very helpful for all children,
including those with learning differences. The gram
mar symbols help make a very abstract concept—
parts of speech—more concrete. Grammar boxes
and sentence analysis are organized in a way for the
student to understand the structure of the language.
S P R IN G 2 0 1 7 53
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