My Story
I started doing Montessori infant activities
at home when my son was ten months. He was born with Down syndrome in September
2004. We continue to have a Montessori home environment.
We received a home teacher who came twice
a week as part of 0-3 Early Start services (no longer offered in California
due to budget cuts!). He started speech and language therapy and physica
therapy at 15 months.
What helped my son's development was to
also have him integrated into a daycare/classroom setting with typically
developing children: he went to an Early Headstart program (for birth to
three year olds) at 18 months until he turned three. At the same time,
I baby sat another child his age for two years who was typically developing.
I feel it is the combination of all of the above that has helped his development!
He went into a toddler Montessori class
at age three.
At age four he entered the 3-6 Montessori
class with an aide, but after five months it was unsuccessful.
At age 4 1/2 to 6 we placed our son in
a special day preschool program (special day class) with other special
needs children. (We decided he was not ready for a Kindergarten program
at age five, nor a Montessori school/program.)
At age 6 our son will go to our local public
school Kindergarten class, with an aide.
My son does better in structured environments
with lots of group or "centered" activities that are guided by adults.
He also does very well with one-on-one activities with an adult. He does
not do well in a Montessori setting outside of the home.
At home he works on numbers and letters,
knows sign language, loves to sing and dance and perform, and he
is an "experiential
learner" who pushes the bounderies where ever he goes! (This can be
a good thing and a bad thing!) He knows the sounds and names of the alphabet,
has just started tracing letters with his fingers, and writing them in
chalk on the patio. He puts the numbers 1-10 in sequence, works on floor
puzzles, loves to paint and cut, and wants to read!
OK, that's enough, for now!
My Tips
Try baby sitting kids who are your child's
age.
Join a preschool co-op.
Get on the waiting list for your local
Headstart school (0-3 or 3-5).
Pay for your special child to go part
time to a toddler or preschool class or in-home daycare, at least three
half days a week. Your child might need an aide if he is in a Montessori
classroom.
Some families in my area do both: they
pay for part time preschool AND send their child to the local special needs
school part time.
I recommend both using Montessori at home,
and having your child spend time around other typically developing children,
as much as possible!
I am an OT [occupational therapist],
and my fourth child who is 14 months-old has DS. I am also interested in
Montessori for him.... Any great resources to point me towards? Any tips
toward trying to convince a Montessori school who has no kids with special
needs into accepting him? I'd appreciate any insights. Thanks!--Kathy
As far as finding a school that accepts
a special needs child/infant, each one is different, as you know!
I remember visiting many Montessori
and non Montessori schools when my son was 15 months old, looking for a
toddler program for him when he turned 24 months old! I did both
scheduled observations (and tried talking to the teacher in the classroom)
as well as a school tour (where you typically talk to the director). And
I chose schools within our budget and close to home.
Then my son got into the Early Headstart
program at 18 months of age, ten blocks away from our house! They already
had a child enrolled with DS, and after my son started, they accepted another
one a few months later. They were a wonderful and committed staff!
As for traditional schools, I looked at
only one, who was very open to DS/special needs and already had a girl
with DS enrolled.
Montessori schools: I visited three, two
were very open, one was not. So you just have to feel it out when you visit,
and or bring it up over the phone!
Now, during this process, you can consider
an aide for your child to be with him in the classroom or daycare... this
is not uncommon (we got our first aide for our son's new 3-6 Montessori
preschool classroom at the request of the school/his new teacher).
I would not send my child to any school
or daycare who was not open (and honest) about taking a child with DS,
and I did not try any convincing, I saw it as THEIR LOSS!
Best,
LN
Resources:
Any more DS questions you have I am
happy to answer them!
Lisa Nolan
