flynn088

 Our work is not to teach, but to help the absorbent mind in its work of development. How marvelous it would be if by our help, if by an intelligent treatment of the child, if by understanding the needs of his physical life and by feeding his intellect, we could prolong the period of functioning of the absorbent mind! —Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind, p. 38. The recognition of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) has come a long way in being recognized by the medical profession. In the 1960s, Dr. Jean Ayres introduced the term Sensory Integration Dysfunction to describe “atypical social, emotional, motor, and functional patterns of behavior that were related to poor processing of sensory stimuli.” (Miller, Cermak, Lane, Anzalone, & Koomar) Yet, even in the late 90s and early 2000s, when I mentioned that my son had been diagnosed with SPD to his doctors, I was met with shrugged shoulders. Even more frustrating was the fact that the majority of his teachers had never heard of SP...

It was the children themselves who showed that they preferred one another’s company to dolls, and the small ‘real life’ utensils to toys. —Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind, p. 169. Observing Sensitive Periods in Young Children Recently, a friend of mine and her two-year-old daughter came over for coffee. Because I was moving soon, I had already packed up my few remaining infant toys. I was worried that I didn’t have anything interesting to share with my young guest until I remembered Dr. Montessori’s observation that children prefer real objects to toys. Having never visited my house before, young Ellie needed to explore her new environment. She wandered around the living room, checking out the furniture and knick-knacks on the end and coffee tables. Ellie was intrigued by the glass topped coffee table: How did it work? What held up the glass and how did objects not fall through it? And then she saw my large blue art-deco glass vase. Fascinated, she asked to see what was inside. Whe...