Guidelines for referral and test evaluation for Montessori schools

Montessori Life, Spring 2003 by Pickering, Joyce S

CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

More and more questions about students with learning or behavioral challenges are being asked by Montessori schools and their staffs. In my experience, Montessori schools often have more students who are at-risk for or have learning disabilities. The reason for this is usually that parents of these children are looking for schools with individualized programs and the Montessori philosophy. Teachers trained as Montessorians have more knowledge of child development and developmental stages than most teachers do and they have the reputation of being able to offer services to children with a wide spectrum of learning abilities and weaknesses. Montessorians know that students do not all learn in the same ways and at the same rate of speed. They do not expect to be able to use one plan with all students. They have the training, curriculum, and scientifically created materials to be more able to match the level of their instruction to the specific developmental level of a student in their presentations across the curriculum-the key to learning for Montessori students.

Even though more highly trained to understand human development, Montessorians can be even more precise in their educational plan for a student if they have information about learning disabilities such as dyslexia and related disorders including oral language disabilities, attentional deficits, math disorders, written expression disorders, motor skill disorders, and social skill disorders. The students who have these disorders have a different brain anatomy or biochemistry-not abnormal, just different. These differences result in a student who often has significant strengths in some areas of the curriculum and obvious weaknesses in others, which usually are unexpected for age and/or intellectual ability.

Other students may read (decode) well but show marked difficulty in comprehension. These students often have some difficulty with math concepts. In both comprehension and math they are indicating difficulties with abstraction.

Some have difficulty only in math, not because they are slow learners but because they have a specific processing disorder in which their differently wired brain is not perceiving information correctly.

For example, a teacher may observe a child in her classroom who is verbal and obviously intelligent, very strong in math and very weak in the language skills of reading, writing, and spelling. This is the profile seen in students who indicate the learning difference of Dyslexia. (If this bright student is referred as early as possible for evaluation and specific remediation is begun, years of frustration can be avoided. The emotional overlay of an undiagnosed learning difference takes a toll on the self-concept of the person.)

It is a different concept for parents and many teachers to understand that a person can be average or above in intellectual ability and have a specific learning disability in which his or her brain is processing the information incorrectly and erratically. Sometimes the person can do a task and sometimes not. The brain is not damaged, it is dysfunctioning.

To help students with these challenges, the teacher benefits from specific information on when students should be referred for evaluation and to whom. With the results of a comprehensive evaluation the teacher can help the student more effectively.

When a student is not doing as well as expected and the teacher considers referral for evaluation to determine whether a learning disability or some other condition is impairing progress, what does she look for?

Observing Classroom Behavior

* Is the student normalized? Does he demonstrate appropriate self-control for his age?

* Does he have a cycle of work established?

* Is concentration in individual and group activities average for age?

* Does he demonstrate a sense of order?

* Can he follow directions?

* Is his activity level within average limits, overly active, or hypoactive?

* Is he easily distracted visually? Is he easily distracted by sound?

* Is work behavior average, mature, immature?

* Does he avoid certain types of work? What does he avoid?

* Is behavior with activities directed toward usage as presented, exploration with a purpose, or play?

* Is the amount of time needed for Teacher guidance average, rare, or frequent?

Observing Classroom Performance

In each area of the curriculum:

* Does she work with a sense of order?

* Does she sequence appropriately?

* Are her gross-motor skills coordinated?

* Are her fine-motor skills coordinated?

* Is her perception within normal limits for age? (Examples: in practical life activities does she judge space accurately, in sensorial and math activities does she perceive pattern and gradation?)

* Is her oral language development within normal limits for age? (Listening, Vocabulary, Verbal Ability)

* Are her language and math concept understandings commensurate with her age?

* Does she have articulation difficulties or stammer?

* Are her prewriting or writing skills appropriate for age?