Montessori

Ach. Quiet for weeks, then I can't stop. I have to get something off my chest though, something good, which I hadn't really realised was happening.

Tokoroth is at a Montessori nursery. It's not unusual for parents with autistic children to take this route to pre-school because of the way the sessions are structured

"...its method of education is characterised by emphasising self-directed activity on the part of the child, and clinical observation on the part of the teacher to stress the importance of adapting the child’s learning environment to his or her development level"

They flagged with us that he wasn't integrating well with his peers (he tolerates other children but just ignores them most of the time as he doesn't realise they *want* to speak or play with him) and once they realised we already suspected ASD and were following a path towards diagnosis they organised an in-nursery assessment by a specialist.

Based on the report and recommendations made by the specialist the Montessori have now, incredibly, involved his classmates in talking to him, involving him in their play, after the teachers briefed his classmates and have made including Tokoroth, in conversation and play, a big game for all of them.

The nursery weren't asked, or expected, to get involved in this process and no help over and above the style and format of their methodology was anticipated but, wow, just wow.