Playing to Learn: an overview of the Montessori Approach with pre school children with Autism Spectrum Condition
This article explores some of the literature concerning the effectiveness of the Montessori educational approach for children with ASC within an English school context. Firstly, there is a discussion, including a short historical review, regarding the ideology of inclusion and how it has impacted upon mainstream education. Also, how this can be facilitated using play based approaches such as Montessori. Secondly, various models of disability are identified in order to highlight how they have informed societal attitudes towards people with disabilities. There is a brief history of ASC detailing how a child with this disability may be affected on a daily basis and the effectiveness of alternative play based educational approaches such as Montessori in helping children with ASC to develop the appropriate skills they need in order to self regulate and thus modify their behaviour. Furthermore, the value of play based curriculums in supporting a child diagnosed with ASC throughout the learning process is also evaluated. The summary highlights the need for more evidence based studies to be undertaken in order to assess whether the Montessori approach is a valid alternative in teaching pre school children with ASC.