Montessori and ADHD?

MaryKath - I have kiddos with ADHD but don't have experience with Montessori, so I can't give a lot of advice. But, I would at least visit the Montessori pre-school and ask the Director what they think or how much experience they have with ADHD. Sorry that's all I can think of. I do hope you get some advice here. Best Wishes - Suz

You really have to visit the school because not all schools that call themselves montessori are the same. Some have no structure and might be kind of overwhelming for a child with problems, but others provide structure but use the montessori learning things which are much more hands on, less paper and more manipulatives. Each school is different on thier philosophies and thier organization. You know your child best, so I would suggest a visit and you can judge how your child would respond.

Our son is a very hyper sensory seeker, and did NOT do well at montessori preschool. It was TOO structured, and they did not offer enough ways for him to get the sensory input he needs to be able to focus. He is now in a regular preschool through our local school district, and is doing great!

I think you would have better luck at the public preschool in your district. You should be able to get an IEP for him through the school district. Most Montesorri's are not very structured which is hard for kids who need their day scheduled. But every school is different. It depends more on the admin at that school than on the Montessori philosophy.

Not only the admin, but also the individual teacher. Have a friend who has a child with...differences. He's very, very bright and learns differently. Not ADHD, but...something. He's been screened (and screened) and they don't have a 'label'. ANYWAY...the first teacher at the Montessori he attends had one outlook and process of teaching. He and this teacher didn't do so well together. He struggled; she struggled. This year he has a different teacher who is much more simpatico and things are going smoothly. She does provide some structure and direction, but not in a confrontational way, and he is finding things that he likes to do and is very invested in his projects. As with any school, if the fit between the student and teacher isn't a good one then they will both struggle with the relationship. Can you observe your child at school? Are there unresolved conflicts that are causing the problems? There are so many things that can contribute to a child not wanting to go to school and to the struggle of being in school! As the second child who went to the same schools as my older sibling, and who had the exact same teachers, let me say that we didn't necessarily like the same teachers, nor did the same teachers like me (or her or whatever). Sometimes it must have seemed to my parents as though we went to different schools and had different teachers! LOL

All three of my girls attend Montessori preschool and are loving it. M has issuses with both attention and sensory processing. Her teacher has been very open to suggestions and has allowed her OT to visit and also offer suggestions. It is working very well. She is allowed to stand to work which she absolutely needs to do to help her to focus. Z does NOT have the attention issues but has sensory processing problems and possibly has Aspergers. Her teacher is also very open to suggestions, is reading up on sensory processing and attachment issues. Again another good match. I really think it depends upon the implementation of the Montessori philosophy and the teachers' willingness to be flexible. I also recommend that you go observe the Montessori preschool, perhaps more than once or more than one room if there are several. You would get a better sense of the atmosphere of the classroom if you can stay for a longer period. Also ask when is the best time to observe since some classes have circle time and others may not. Circle time is used at our school but it is only at the beginning of the morning and is not representative of what happens the rest of the time. I hope you are able to find a preschool arrangement that works well for your child. :prop:

My two children attended a brand-new montessori school when they were 2 and 3. The daughter (2) is add and the son (3) is adhd. I loved the program, they had structure, just enough to "guide" him, but not enough for him to cause problems. There are different programs, and different approaches, please check out several schools. The son is also dyslexic, has reading and reading comprehension problems, and is oppositional defiant. He is now 21 1/2, we survived, graduated from high school with a 3.75 average. I wish that our montessori school had more levels than pre-school, I really liked the program. But, I have to say that the public school did an ok job....teachers are the most important. I was lucky that I was able to pick teachers for the next year in the ard meeting that we held in the spring. The best advice that I can say is to stay on top of things, pick your battles-whether we are talking about your child, or the "system". You will have to give up some things until your child grads from high school but they need us. I have found that getting into college is very difficult for my son, we live in TX and he has to take a "reading test with comprehension" (remember this is a major disability for him) so he is having a VERY difficult time passing it. But the kid is so smart, if he is able to watch the "whatever" he has it memorized. Most of all....remember to enjoy your child. I went into a deep depression this time last year when I realized that I was too old to be a parent again. I miss all the activity so very much...