FMIE Textbook

Montessori Strategies for Children with Learning Differences: The MACAR Method

Joyce S. Pickering with Sylvia Richardson

In Montessori Strategies for Children with Learning Differences, Joyce S. Pickering and Sylvia O. Richardson interpret Dr. Maria Montessori’s language and developmental theories using a modern, clinical, neurodevelopmental perspective. With decades of experience, Joyce and Sylvia share strategies about how teachers in Montessori environments can include children with speech-language delays, dyslexia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity, and intellectual disabilities. They also describe Montessori strategies that special educators can use in their classrooms to offer effective remediation to children who learn differently.

Together with colleagues Laure Ames and Amy Kelton, Joyce and Sylvia illustrate techniques that can help teachers better serve children with varying exceptionalities. They explain the secret to their success at the Shelton School and Evaluation Center and continue Dr. Montessori’s tradition of advocacy, education, and mentorship.

In a special chapter on Montessori and autism, K. Michelle Lane-Barmapov vividly describes the challenges of working with children with extreme behavior. Michelle details her innovative blend of Montessori curriculum and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) that can facilitate inclusion for children with autism in Montessori environments. For children with autism, her prescription for early childhood intervention can make a lifelong difference.