Montessori Classroom Observation

AJ is a six-year-old child attending first grade at a private Montessori school in Jersey City and he has been recently diagnosed with High Functional Autism (HFA). AJ exhibit deficits in areas of body communication, he does not recognize emotions and sometimes his body expressions are not in agreement with his verbal language, his social interaction continues to be deficient. AJ is described as a difficult child, who lacks concentration in school activities, and has problems accepting authority and recognizing his limits. In addition, there are days when AJ decides to be selective with whom he would like to talk or interact during classroom activities and sometime those excluded are his teachers, which makes academic interaction a bit

There are two Montessori teachers and an assistant. AJ is the only child with an IEP in the classroom. The classroom is not set up like a traditional classroom. There are table and chairs, different centers, free space , and mimic more a setting that a child will have at home. In the classroom teaching is done in small groups or independent learning. The teachers become more like the models rather than the director. The classroom is colorful, sensory integrated, lots of visual aids, pictures and peer interactions daily. During the first observation, AJ was upset because of my presence and continually called for his mother 's attention, asking them to fulfill his demands immediately. The teacher explained his parents that they should try to ignore those complaints to ensure that they could control his behavior. Nevertheless, AJ insisted on bothering his teacher and some peers to pay attention to his demands, and even grab a girl’s face on one occasion to gain her

The attachment constructs theory developed by John Bowlby. Autism represented a failure to achieve secured attachment, and until these days, there are people who consider this theory as valid. However, studies on attachment behaviors, concluded children with autism met standard criteria for secure attachment patterns with their caretakers. (Capps et al., 1994; Rogers et al., 1991, 1993; Shapiro et al., 1987 as quoted by Lord et al., 2001, p. 68). Such is the case of AJ, whose parent’s sensitivity to his issues and responsiveness, fostered his secured attachment, which make him feel secure and independent while at