Treatments for my son and the Montessori school

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Hello, I have a son who just turned five. He was diagnosed with PDD-NOS about 6 months ago. We live overseas so there is no public school system here to help him. He attends a private International mainstream Montessori School everyday from 8:30-3:30 and then twice a week he has speech therapy. I am not sure if I am doing enough for him. Since he has been attending the Montessori school, he began talking. He pretty much didn't talk more then single words until around 4. Now he is talking a lot, so he seems to be making a lot of progress. He is also more and more interested in making friends. But I am not sure if he should be getting more help. As he is only 5, I also don't want to overwhelm him. Any advice? We must also pay for everything out of pocket so I am trying to find the most effective forms of treatment for him as I don't want to waste time and money on things that are ineffective. Does anybody have experience with Montessori schools? Do you have advice for how to help him within this environment? Thanks so much. Blessings, Jenny

I hope that your son gets the services that he needs.

i would advise you to post this over in the parenting forum, you'll reach more parents that way =)

the services he gets should be individualized to what he needs. speech is common, so is occupational therapy if he has problems with fine motor control (writing, using scissors, etc). physical therapy is sometimes needed if they have low muscle tone issues (hypotonia). and social skills classes for those kids who need more help in that area.

they have some of those schools here

the waiting list is like 50 years long,

Hi Jenny. My son is nearly 4, also with a PDD-NOS diagnosis, and has been in a half-day Montessori preschool since March. I have noticed a lot of great developmental strides. He is not only talking a LOT more, but also is thisclose to being able to read. Before he began school, he wouldn't even let me read him a book, and now he will "read" his to me.
If he is in class from 8:30 to 3:30 and then on top of it has therapies, perhaps it is best to keep his activities down to just those ones as long as they seem to be working. Obviously if he needs PT as well as ST, put him in PT, but as far as "being worked with" just for the autism, in my experience it's best to have a nice big chunk of the day devoted to things that he enjoys and finds relaxing so he can put his full focus on "performing" when he needs to. He could probably use some downtime to recharge after the long school day! I know with my DS that if I overschedule him (no matter how theoretically beneficial the activities) he gets stressed out because he doesn't have time to unwind at home, and ends up having more meltdowns. HTH!

I'm an aspie myself and parent of children on the spectrum. Trying too hard to make him normal can certainly cause problems. I think the key is learning as much as you can about your son, and since you are here it looks like your doing your best.

If he has problems functioning or coping with required daily activities in life you should certainly seek help for him. You have to push a little, but not too much or he'll just fight back. Finding that magic balance will be the toughest job for you for the next 15 years, and unfortunately we'll always second guess ourselves. We just have to do the best we can.

But no amount of therapy will ever make him "normal." As long as he is self sufficient and happy, let him enjoy life in his own way. Try to focus on what makes him happy. If he picks up a special interest, run with it and support it. Never underestimate his intelligence once his interest in something has sparked. Later in life if he can find a career in a field he has had a special interest in he can easily become more successful than any so called "normal" person.

I have been attending a Montessori school from preschool through kindergarten and from fourth through sixth grade and let me tell you something, it has helped foster a love of learning for me as well as my brother who attended in preschool and kindergarten.

The teacher there from what I noticed are very accepting and understanding. From first through third grade when I attended a public school I did not see that. Rather, instead, they wanted to compartmentalize me as either "normal" or "special needs" I was neither, I was in a category of my own and that frustrated them. At Montessori, they did not put labels on anyone at all for anything, they looked at me as an individual and they look at everyone's different needs as well. Even after I graduated Montessori, I still feel the impact. I really, really think it's a good choice. I have seen and heard many kids with autism and other disabilities go there and prosper. I think he is in the right place if my Montessori school is like his.

However, what you should be aware of is transitioning over to a traditional school. My brother who is an NT in first grade and when he was told was to do by the teacher which was to draw a picture of himself. He curled up into a ball and cried because he did not know what to do and at Montessori, he wasn't used to it, all the teachers wanted of him was to make sure he challenged himself.

It doesn't sound like there's a pressing need for anything else. In the abstract, not knowing your situation except what you've said here, it sounds like you're doing exactly the right thing.

It seems like he's doing fine. Even if he weren't, it might be counterproductive to add more because he already has a full day of school, plus speech therapy. In many cases, down time is more important to good learning than more therapy.