Developmental Delays

&
Movement in Relation to
Instict
Reporter: Ms. Harriet Jane A. Alejandro
What is Developmental Delay?

-it is when your child does

not reach their
developmental milestones
at the expected times. It is
an ongoing major or minor
delay in the process of
development.
 If a child is temporarily
lagging behind, that is not
called developmental delay.
Delay can occur in one or
many areas—for example,
gross or fine motor, language,
social, or thinking skills.
 Developmental Delay is
most often a diagnosis made
by a doctor based on strict
guidelines. Usually, though,
the parent is the first to notice
that their child is not
progressing at the same rate
as other children the same
age. I
 Montessori and the child with develipmental delays (special
needs)
Pros when considering Montessori for a child with special
needs:
1. The materials and the environment: The
Montessori classroom is filled with beautiful
materials that engage all of the senses. The
materials are hands-on, therapeutic, enticing,
and include a built-in control of error. In most
cases they teach only one skill (or salient
point) at a time. They offer a wonderful
chance for children with special needs to use
their hands to explore and learn.
2. Multi-age classrooms: In
Montessori, children are put into
multi-age classrooms, so they can
learn from older children, and help
the younger children in the
classroom. If a child needs to
repeat a grade, they can do so
without being “held back” while
watching their friends move to a
new classroom.
3. Following the child: Montessori
children are encouraged to work at
their own pace, without the burden
of competition, test scores, and
grades. They are also encouraged
to follow their own interests when it
comes to reading, writing, and
research. This kind of freedom
allows the special needs child to
flourish.
4. Consistency: The multi-age
classroom means a child is with a
teacher for a 3-year cycle, allowing
the teacher to build a strong
relationship with the parents and the
child. As well, the child doesn’t have
the stress of always starting in a
new classroom at the beginning of
each school year.
5. The philosophy of Montessori:
In Montessori, there is an emphasis
on peace, cooperation, and respect,
making it much less likely that a
child with special needs will be
teased or ostracized. Instead, the
other children usually make an
effort to accept, befriend, and
encourage a special needs child.
“Work is inseparable from movement.”
- Maria Montessori
Movement in Relation to Instict
"A child's desire to work
represents a vital instinct since
he cannot organize his
personality without working: a
man builds himself through
working."
 The New-born Infant
compared with the Young of
Animals if we compare a new-
born child with the newly-born
young of animals let us say a
chicken just out of the egg we
are struck at once with a
marked difference with
respect to their capacity for
movement.
Montessori compared a child from the animals how
they move at birth:
A young chick will run and peck
at a grain of corn the moment it is
hatched, and a foal will stand up
and walk the day it is born.
Furthermore, the vocal means of
expression characteristic of the
species is often there from birth in
the case of animals.
 Though their voices are
faint and plaintive,
puppies emit a real bark,
kittens miaow, and lambs
bleat: in a word they are
endowed with such
language as they possess
from birth.
 A human child on the other
hand when it is born the case is
very different. It is less complete
physically; and is much slower to
develop its powers of movement.
The new-born baby has, in fact,
very little power of movement: it
cannot raise itself, cannot speak,
cannot walk.
 This does not mean that the
child has a complete
incapacity for co-ordinated
movements. It knows well how
to suck, for instance, which is
a complicated action requiring
the accurate co-ordination of
many muscles.
 But this latter movement
is under the direction of
instinct, like the movements
of new-born animals. The
young of the human species
seem, then, at birth, to be
inferior to the young of
many animals.
The Incarnation of Reason

Montessori asks: why has the

power of instinct which enables the
young animals to stand, walk, run
and jump and speak etc. almost at
birth, deserted the muscles of the
baby?
 She replies because, in the
child, instinct has withdrawn to
give place to something higher-to
the intelligence and will of man.
These inert muscles are destined
to be taken up into a new and
higher order than anything in the
animal world into the services of
human freedom.
 What it amounts to then is
really this, that in the animal,
instinct finds its instrument for
movement and expression
already formed; whereas the free
soul of man has, in a measure, to
create its own instrument. We
may express it thus, that whereas
the animal incarnates an instinct
man incarnates intelligence.
A Difference in Kind, not in Degree
The more deeply we look into
Montessori 's doctrine of the
incarnation of the human soul- this
spiritual entity endowed with reason-
the more evident does it become
that man differs from the animal
creation not only in degree but in
kind.
 For Montessori, the most
significant thing about the child's
development-that which dominates
and gives it its special form -is not
these instinctive tendencies which
we have in common with the
animals, but that capacity to
reason which distinguishes us from
them.
 Animals have merely
to awaken their instincts
towards their specified
behaviour-and their psychic
life is limited to this. But in
man there is this otherfact-
the creation ofhuman
intelligence.
 This is the centre which
must be taken into
consideration when man is
studied. For man there is no
limit. What a man will do in the
future no one can foretell-not
in the same way, at least, as
one can predict the behaviour
of animals.
 Throughout history, humans have
relied on their ingenuity and
adaptability for survival. Regardless
of race, country, or culture, people
follow similar patterns of exploration,
inventiveness, and creativity.
 After years of careful
observation, Maria
Montessori was able to
identify eleven important
tendencies that compel
human beings to construct
and refine the world around
them.
 The tendencies, according to Mario
Montessori, can be aided or adversed. The
first adaptation is the one that becomes part
of us. It is rare for any person to be able to
speak a second language as well as the
native language. People generally construct
themselves once. After that, the basic
structure is in place, though it can be varied
slightly.

"A child's desire to work represents a

vital instinct since he cannot organize his
personality without working: a man builds
himself through working."
 What do we mean by the word
"tendency"? Dictionary defines it as "A
predisposition to think, act, behave, or
proceed in a particular way". The
following characteristics are ones that
we display before we even know what
they are; we do them naturally and
instinctively. In Montessori philosophy,
they are the key to understanding how
and why a Montessori classroom calls
out to the very soul of the child.
Orientation. Human beings want to
know their relationship to the
environment around them. When children
enter a new environment, they often want
to look at and touch everything around
them. They enjoy knowing "where" they
fit in - from learning their address to
finding their country and continent on a
map.
Order. People prefer order to chaos and
confusion. Order brings predictability and
security. There are two kinds of order:
external and internal.
Exploration. Our earth is filled with
wonderful sounds, scents, textures,
tastes, and colors. Children are naturally
curious, and love to use their senses to
learn more about the fascinating world
around them.
Communication. Humans delight in
conveying thoughts, feelings, and
information to each other. Various
types of communication include the
written and spoken word, touch,
facial expressions, gestures, art,
music, and dance. Communication is
the link of understanding between
people, both face-to-face and from
generation to generation.
Activity. People generally like to
stay busy. For children, movement
can be enjoyed for its own sake,
rather than always having a goal
or end product in mind. Even
children who have very little to
play with will find ways to be
active through games, songs,
dance, and pretend play.
 Manipulation. Humans
need to take hold of their
environment to understand it.
It is the next step after
exploration: once you have
found something interesting,
you will quite naturally want to
use it in some way. This is
how the concept of "tools"
began.
Work. Humans feel
worthwhile through their work.
Work leads to a feeling of
accomplishment and self-
respect. Maria Montessori
believed that it was through
work that a child constructed
his true self, free of defect or
misbehavior.
 Repetition. This occurs
when a child repeats a task
over and over again.
Oftentimes it is with the intent
to master the task, but even
after mastery occurs, a child
may continue to repeat the
activity for the sheer pleasure
of doing so.
 THANK
YOU FOR
LISTENIN