Helping Children with Attentional Challenges in a Montessori Classroom: The Role of the Occupational Therapist

Barbabra Luborsky links the medical field and Montessori pedagogy to address atypical attention in children through the lens of the occupational therapist. She provides an overview of attention and sensory processing disorders and then informs about particular diagnoses, particularly ADHD and its comorbidity with other diagnoses. Her specific advice as to the role of a practitioner when faced with a struggling child is helpful to the individual teacher and to the entire school community, as addressing these challenges requires collaboration on the part of a number of adults. The second half of her article focuses on specific occupational therapy strategies to support children in a Montessori classroom and offers easily incorporated supplements and adaptations to the environment along with practical tools that can be used in any classroom by any practitioner. A bibliography is included. [This talk was presented at the NAMTA conference titled "Finding the Hook: Montessori Strategies to Support Concentration," October 6-9, 2016, in Columbia, MD.]