I have a teaching question and could benefit greatly from discussion. If this is not the right forum for this, could someone point me in the right direction. I have heard numerous autism activists talk about teaching to children's strengths. Is this just theory or has anyone done this? Is there any literature on it? My nine year old is an incredible artist, but instead of teaching her art most of the time and other academic subjects some of the time, we do the opposite. We try through her IEP, different therapies, and working with her at home, to get the standardized information and skills into her even though she has little to no interest in them. (Please don't take this as criticizing the school system. I have totally bought into this even before her first IEP.) But what if we taught her art first -- sort of a Montesorri gone wild. Is there anyone doing this?
4 comments:
suzanne..this is what we do everyday on our family...you know i am montessori trained...sooooooooo just one little montessori story...in one of books, montessori tells a little story about trying to make a butterfly fly faster by cutting it out of its chrysalis...and it, of course, dies...if a child is not ready for some subject or some information there is nothing you can do to make it happen...but wait til just the right time...and they fly!!!
Sounds like a wonderful approach to me! If she can be happy all day everyday creating art, she might have more patience for learning the other things you have in mind--with less resistance in less time.
It is an interesting approach and one worth exploring. Sounds like you are on the right path for her. I am excited to see how it might work for you guys.
Try reading some Paula Kluth books. "Just Give Him the Whale" is one all about this topic with respect to kids with ASD.
Post a Comment