Abstract/Notes: Intellectual disability is a serious lifelong disability that places heavy demands on society and the health system. The study was designed to determine the extent to which the intellectually challenged children are capable of improving their cognitive abilities as well as adaptive functioning through the Montessori Sensorial Training program when introduced in a different setting (i.e. special education school system). With randomised control trial (RCT) of pre-and post-testing, 30 children with mild intellectual disabilities were randomly allocated to Montessori Sensorial Training intervention condition (n = 15) and waitlist control condition (n = 15). The intervention group showed significant improvement in cognitive abilities (i.e. classification, seriation, recognition, ordination, and visual and auditory discrimination) as compared to the control group at post-assessment. Children who received training also showed improvement in communication and self-care domain as compared to the control group. This study provides evidence that Montessori Sensorial Training is not only effective for children going to mainstream schools but also for children with intellectual disabilities. Despite some limitations, the results of the study are encouraging and suggesting that Montessori Sensorial Training is an effective intervention to facilitate self-based learning, independence, and decision-making skills in children with mild intellectual disabilities.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/1034912X.2021.2016657

ISSN: 1034-912X

Abstract/Notes: Since comprehensive evaluation of academic skills cannot be extensively conducted in early childhood, specific learning disabilities cannot be diagnosed in preschool-aged children. To evaluate academic skills, children must be school-aged and interventions cannot begin in the preschool period. However, specific learning disabilities in children may also be noticed during preschool. Preschool teachers need to determine which kids are at risk of having specific learning disabilities so that they can be detected early and an intervention provided. Preschool teachers need to be aware of the early signs of specific learning disabilities to distinguish between typically developing children and those at risk of having specific learning disabilities. In this review, studies describing the preschool characteristics of students at risk of having specific learning disabilities are examined, and the early signs of specific learning disabilities and early intervention processes are described based on the literature. Research suggests that the signs of specific learning disabilities can be seen in early childhood. The need for preschool teachers and families to be sensitive to the characteristics of children at risk of specific learning disabilities in the context of early intervention is discussed.

Language: English

DOI: 10.20489/intjecse.722383

ISSN: 1943-023X

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of the present article was to search for new ways of individual pedagogical support for primary school children with learning disabilities. The article describes the mechanisms for putting the educational principles of Maria Montessori into the system of pedagogical support for children with learning disabilities, which apply the exercises of practical life to a real social environment. The objective of the exercises was to develop universal learning activities, e.g., the ability to plan and manage a child's activity, to reflect its results, to build up communication, to encourage cognitive development.Keywords: learning disabilities, individual pedagogical support, Maria Montessori, universal learning activitiesJEL Classifications: I20; I23

Language: English

ISSN: 2146-4405

Abstract/Notes: Since Martin Luther, religious education has largely been identified with catechism that used question and answer method, particularly in the Catholic church. For a person with intellectual disability, this offers a grave difficulty in religious formation. Could there be alternatives? The present study aimed at exploring the benefits of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) for children living with intellectual disabilities. The participants were 23 children and nine care-givers in a Catholic context in Kenya. Observation guides and interviews were used to collect data that showed that children with intellectual disabilities had the ability to spontaneously relate with the spiritual world, and in some cases, with Jesus. The findings confirmed that the CGS offers children with special needs the space, tools, and time to get in touch with the Divine through witnessing to the narrative of the Word.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/s40839-018-0069-5

ISSN: 2199-4625

Abstract/Notes: Resumo A temática central deste artigo versa sobre o atendimento das Pessoas com Deficiência, busca-se deste modo inferir sobre algumas contribuições históricas a partir da pedagogia proposta por Paulo Freire e Maria Montessori. Apesar de em estudos preliminares Freire não ter tratado diretamente sobre o tema pessoa com deficiência, traz em suas obras um vasto material que dividiu barreiras entre a educação para poucos e a sua democratização. Freire (2013, p. 47) defende que a Educação é um processo em que o sujeito deve apreender através da sua vivência, não se evolui recebendo conhecimentos prontos, ou seja: “ensinar não é transferir conhecimentos, mas criar as possibilidades para a sua própria produção ou a sua construção”. Deste modo, permite-se estabelecer uma relação entre a pedagogia de Paulo Freire e a política educacional para as pessoas com deficiência, pois ambas desejam que todas as pessoas da sociedade tenham acesso à política de educação. Já a pedagogia proposta por Maria Montessori está inter-relacionada com a inclusão das pessoas com deficiência, uma vez que seus estudos inicialmente voltaram-se para a educação de crianças com deficiência intelectual.

Language: Portuguese

DOI: 10.15448/1677-9509.2020.1.36611

ISSN: 1677-9509

Abstract/Notes: Early childhood education plays a critical role in establishing positive social-emotional behaviors and promoting the development of skills needed to succeed in elementary school. Although inclusion of children with disabilities (CWD) in early childhood classrooms is increasing throughout the world, numerous social, logistical, and political factors continue to present challenges to full inclusion. The Montessori educational approach, established at the beginning of the 20th century and now applied widely throughout Europe and the United States, may present a highly suitable learning context for CWD, particularly given its historical basis in efforts to meet the needs of underprivileged and cognitively delayed children. On a theoretical level, the inclusion of CWD should be an accepted practice for Montessori programs yet reports of the number and characteristics of CWD attending Montessori programs are scarce. This paper reports upon the findings of a survey of U.S. Montessori early childhood programs’ current enrollment of CWD. The survey indicated that CWD represent 3.75% of the infant and toddler (0–3 years) population and 8.49% of the preschool/early childhood (3–6 years) population at responding institutions. Additionally, although school directors indicate that their teachers generally feel confident and competent including CWD in their classrooms, they expressed a need for ongoing professional development and additional support from special education experts to further empower the inclusion of CWD in all aspects of Montessori education.

Language: English

ISSN: 2378-3923

Abstract/Notes: Learning disabilities is presented as a construct supported by psychoeducational, socioemotional, and physiological data, as illustrated by the Meeker paradigm. Specific learning abilities as conceived in the Structure of Intellect (S.O.I.) model and identified in the Stanford-Binet and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised are discussed in relation to the psychoeducation area of the Meeker paradigm. The absence of specific S.O.I. learning abilities is proposed in the definition of learning disabilities, and suggestions for remediation are delineated.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1177/002221948001300908

ISSN: 0022-2194, 1538-4780

Abstract/Notes: Includes picture essay

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040